Whispers
by wordsaremyescape
Summary: {PREVIOUSLY TITLED SET ME FREE WITH NEW SUMMARY} As hard as she tries to run, there's no escaping the truth. It comes in haunting whispers that make her blood run cold. But he has a way of keeping her warm, keeping her human when all she wants to do is stay numb. The truth doesn't settle in ice. It always slips right off. But his breath is warm...So warm.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright, so for those who have seen this before, I'm giving this story a _serious_ facelift. I find I'm doing that with most of my stories this summer. Taking my time and beefing them up a little. Here's the not so new but greatly improved!**

 **Disclaimer: All set characters belong to their rightful owners. I only own the plot and any new characters that might materialize later.**

* * *

The sun is blinding as struggles to greet it with open eyes. She hasn't been unconscious for long. It's only been one or two hours since she last set her gaze on the alarm clock. The weight of the morning, as it almost always does, takes the breath from her lungs. Quinn finds her hands settling almost without thought on her stomach, now void of the one thing that makes a full night of sleep virtually impossible. Today shouldn't mean anything to her. It's not even a marking of anything special. Mother's Day and Father's Day have both come and gone, the immense ache of either of those days two very good reasons to stay wrapped in blankets and sheets. They don't even help keep her warm anymore. It's been barely over a year and all that remains is ice. This should be comforting, something familiar she can't help but consciously cling to in order to keep herself from drowning. Now it's just suffocating.

She does it almost without thinking now, an act so routine she almost feels emptier without it. Her hands don't even shake with nerve anymore like they once had. Puck's voice seems to be the only thing that takes her anywhere these days, a notion that makes absolutely no sense to her. Except for the fact that he's the father of her child. As well as she knew this, she still had the gut to deny him in every possible way. The thought makes her stomach twist that much harder. She'd based all of his worth on the little he always had to offer. Thinking better of it, his friend did worse, offering absolutely nothing. He couldn't even keep a damn secret long enough.

Quinn should have known better. Secrets don't mean a damn thing to anyone, unless they themselves will benefit from keeping quiet. Finn Hudson had absolutely nothing to lose. Apparently the fact that he had a daughter meant he could be as loose with it as most fathers his age. Sickening to her was the idea that Noah Puckerman had to show him the basic principles of being a man. And even then he couldn't be bothered to step up.

But Puck had learned to stay awake with her late into the night no matter where he was. There were times she didn't even realize she'd fallen asleep and she would wake to his steady breathing on the other end of the line. Sometimes the man didn't even sleep and would wait until she was ready for the day before he so much as let her hear him yawn. On those nights she always felt the guiltiest. Not only did she keep him from sleeping but they were normally reserved for the worst nights when the air was caught in her lungs and she just couldn't stop crying. Puck was doing so now, his steady breath her only greeting before he so much as said "hello". After so many of these, verbal acknowledgement seemed unnecessary. He hardly said anything when she woke him the following morning, no matter where the sun was in the sky when she did. She shouldn't _have_ to let him bear all of her grief. No matter what she had done to disgrace her family, Judy should at the very least be aware. Her mother it seemed lived in some blind oblivion, a practice enforced by her father no doubt. But Quinn didn't exactly make a show of it either. For all intents and purposes, everything was fine. Everything was always fine.

Mother's Day. At sixteen, it shouldn't have meant anything. A girl her age has got at least four years to go before she's joined the universal holiday. But she'd let the first come and go without a word. If she didn't let herself think about it, it wasn't real. Puck was equally good at playing dumb so she knew better than to ask how he decided to ignore his day. Today literally doesn't mean anything. It's just one of many where the blonde is left paralyzed in bed. All Quinn can do is stare blankly at her ten foot ceiling. As she mindlessly runs a hand along her abdomen (the place where permanent reminders come in the form of prominent stretch marks) the last year comes in a whirlwind of memories.

Sex and wine coolers, the weight of Puck's body on her own as he tells her repeatedly that she's not fat. The lies, the laughs, the chill of slushy facials. And then there's Puck himself. The one she pushed away repeatedly. In true form, he pushed back. He pushed back with every bit of hope and encouragement he had to offer. He _should_ have won. He put up ten times the battle that she did. Instead, Quinn got exactly what she wanted. Puck backed off because that's exactly what she asked of him. In some weird, twisted way, he's always done what she wanted. Why, she wasn't entirely sure. So she walked away. She gave her up. She did the right thing. Right?

"Morning," he mumbled tiredly. This early in the morning he doesn't even have to ask who it is. Quinn calls like clockwork, whether she wants to or not. Puck doesn't even set an alarm anymore. A phone calls means he better get his ass out of bed or his mother will be calling an hour later to yell at him. But it's Saturday. His favourite Saturday of the year. For the next 24 hours, he can do whatever the hell he wants and nobody can tell him otherwise. Staying in bed seems like the best start to his day. Once he's picked up the phone, he puts it on speaker before burying his head back in the pillow to listen.

Over the last year, he's called her more than he has his own mother. It's gotten to a point where she's given Quinn her own ringtone to single her out. The best thing to do really when you've answered these calls half asleep. He kept to himself how nice it was that she even let him. She only ever ripped his head off in irritation or exhaustion. A few times he'd even gotten an earful when she thought he forgot to call.

She'd never tell him how happy that makes her. She hasn't even told him why yet and just having him there in all the quiet is enough to help her relax. To know that someone cares. She was never outright about it, how good it felt to know that _someone_ cared. If she dared to say so in so many words, Quinn would never hear the end of it. Their conversations almost always went on without pause, often to finish an argument that neither would win.

They did that a lot. Argue. Nothing ever runs smoothly for them. Even when the topic ends up in safe territory. She knows this won't end well even before she's started. But Quinn's doing it anyway. Because she almost has to. Because it's expected in some way. Because only he will ever really get this.

"Fabray," he mumbles. He's greeted her at least three times and all he can hear is breathing. He doesn't point out that it's laboured. He makes a note of it for himself and his own sanity. If it continues, then he'll worry. His lazy greeting (probably due to the fact that she's woken him up) sends subtle warmth to her cheeks.

"Hey Puck," she whispers. "I'm sorry I woke you…Just call me back later," she says.

"S'cool. I'm up now," he says, forcing himself to sound more awake than he actually is. He's not an idiot. He knows this habit too well not to do something about it. It might help that it's his birthday today and a similar feeling he does everything to bury has washed over and almost choked him. It's an understanding that they aren't supposed to talk. He's just supposed to leave her alone now. They have absolutely nothing in common anymore. Except for _her_. "What's up?" he grumbles.

"I…I can't move," she whispers. Puck raises his brow on his end, completely lost.

"What do ya mean?" He asks it even though he too could care less about going anywhere. There's nowhere either of them have to be. Not even school is there to get him up on his feet. He's been better about it, going to class when he's supposed to. He even does his best to pay attention. She doesn't need a dad who just slept through high school. If he's willing to swallow it, his lack of motivation is at least part of the reason they're having this talk at all.

"I'm just kind of stuck…. Mom's usual breakfast just makes me sick. I…I can't go down there…" she finishes, a catch in her throat. "I can't look at her and not see _her_."

"How long?" he asks.

"Two hours," she says with a small smile. She knows he's asking how much she's been able to sleep. They've done this enough. Most nights he woke him up with nightmares and guilt. Today's no different.

"I got like three," he offers. He can't help the hint of guilt that washes over him when he realizes he managed an extra hour. He really doesn't know how. Maybe it's the fact that, over time he's learned to push it back. He's learned not to let it be the only thing he thinks about. He's learned to distract himself.

"Today's not supposed to mean anything…"

"It's always gonna mean something," he whispers. "Today, Mother's Day, Father's Day, her birthday, the holidays." He makes sure to leave out the fact that it's his knowing that if he brought it up she would just feel worse about "ruining it for him". "No matter how much we don't want them to, they're always going to mean something," he says, more awake now. Now that he's talking about it, Puck knows what she means. It's like he's kind of frozen, scared stiff.

"But I'm not…I'm not her…"

"Yeah you are," he says softly. Whether she's yours or not."

"Puck, I gave her up," she reminds him.

"Just because you gave her up doesn't mean you stop caring. Just because we gave her to Shelby, doesn't mean we don't love her, doesn't mean you're not a mom."

"That's just it. I shouldn't. She's not mine anymore."

"She is. Somehow, she'll always be yours." Even though he doesn't bring it up, he wonders how they're able to do any of this. The stone bones are an everyday thing, no matter how much they both wish it wasn't. How had they gone a year and still kept their heads screwed on?

"Ours," she corrects. Puck smiles still somewhat surprised that Quinn's identifying both of them now. She's only done that one other time. "I just feel like I…Like I let her down or something. She's going to grow up thinking we don't care, that her parents didn't want her."

"Quinn, you gave her up _because_ you love her. Being a mom means making some of the hardest decisions. You've done that. And when she's older, when she wants to know who we are, we'll tell her why. We'll tell her that we loved her enough to give her to someone that could give her everything we couldn't."

"I…I...It's hard to breathe. This guilt, it's just too much."

"Nice big breath. It's gonna be okay."

"No, Puck. No it's not going to be okay. I'm afraid to leave my room…I'm always so afraid. Knowing I have to call you is probably the only reason I still make it to school." Well that's ironic as hell. "I've been seeing her everywhere for the last week…" He hears a change of tone and feels a piece of himself fall away. She's crying. It's quiet but he knows she's crying. Just like everything else that's happened to Quinn in the last year, this is his fault.

"Please don't cry," he sighed. "I'm really bad with crying." She stops for a minute, not even aware of the moisture on her cheeks until he's pointed it out. "You know what? I'll be over in five. You're gonna have to get outta your room at some point. Get dressed, we're going out."

"We…we are?" she asks, completely caught off guard.

"Yes, we are. You got five minutes, Fabray. Oh and, if you can, wear somethin' blue," he smirks.

"Why blue?" she asks curiously. Why she's asked such a stupid question is beyond her. Maybe it's the panic that sets in when she realizes the conversation's about to end. She just wants to keep him talking, _needs_ to keep him talking.

"Just do it," he says impatiently.

"Fine, whatever, I'll find something blue." His change of tone puts the breaks on her earlier thought, the desire now completely evaporated. How could one man be so stupidly comforting and then turn right around and ruin it? She quickly realizes he's probably not impatient at all and it's more suited to something she wants. If they kept these short, it meant they weren't friends. If they didn't make these any longer than they had to be, it didn't mean anything special.

"Good. I'll see you soon." His last phrase is met with the dial tone. They never actually said goodbye anymore. They never even really said hello. It was a silent agreement that they just launch into whatever it is they chose to talk about.

Somehow Quinn's found the energy to make it to her closet. She frowns when she realizes that despite Puck's one request; blue is nowhere to be found. Giving up, she settles for pink blouse instead. _He'll just have to deal with it_. Somehow, the blouse has made it to the very depths of her walk in closet, hidden in a stack of carelessly thrown clothes. As she ruffles through, she finds a single blue dress. It's hidden behind a stack of what's supposed to be her rotated wardrobe. _How does he always get what he wants?_ Not really caring, she throws it on, pulling her hair back.

* * *

Fifteen minutes have passed and he still hasn't shown. She rolls her eyes. Typical Puck. He's never on time for anything. She drums her fingers impatiently, watching out the window for his truck to pull in. Eventually, when she's decided to try and take a small nap, (not that lack of sleep gives her much choice) the roar of the engine startles her. _Finally_. Before he can ring the doorbell, she swings the door open, a solid line of frustration on her face.

"Morning," he mumbles. She wants to roll her eyes now. He said the same thing not even an hour ago. Limited vocabulary. One of many reasons they are where they are now. She offers him a small smile instead, taking in a face that's much like her own. Signs of sleep deprivation are more than evident. He's got a hand behind his back and she can't help but raise a curious brow. "I couldn't find lilies so you're gonna have to settle for sunflowers," he says apologetically.

"How do you…? I never told you…"

"I've got my sources," he smirked.

"Thank you," she smiles. The expression is more genuine now (even if it's not by much) as well as one that shields the sudden desire to let her eyes well up. He can tell that it doesn't quite reach her eyes. To anyone else it might look as real as any other but he's known her too long not to know better. He just nods. "So, where are you dragging me off to?" she asks, quickly filling a vase with fresh water.

"You make it sound like I'm kidnapping you or something. Taking you against your will. If you don't remember, I'm here to save you," he laughed.

"Well, you really didn't give me room to say no," she pointed out. Considering all the sleep he's lost because of her she knew better than to say it at all. But to make him think so would go with their little charade.

"But you agreed," he countered.

"True. So, where are you _taking_ me then?" Even though she's asked, the where hardly matters any. As long as she gets away from here, he could take her behind the bleachers for all she cared. The single adventure didn't exactly end well for them but considering their track record, it would almost feel normal. She needed normal. They both did.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," he smirked. Quinn just rolls her eyes.

"You're making this sound like some kind of date," she laughed.

"Not a date. It's more of a…prison break." _Of course_. When it comes to Puck she should know by now to expect nothing less.

"Just tell me where we're going," she sighed impatiently. It still doesn't matter but she knows that if they stay too long in this friendly mood he's going to think something's really wrong with her.

"Nope."

"Stubborn," she mumbles. If she's being completely honest, the fact that he's making it a surprise is almost intriguing. She's always hated them. The last year gave them both the surprise of a lifetime. Anything smaller than that wasn't going to send her into a panic attack if she just let him lead her.

"Takes one to know one." She offers a small smile, letting him walk her to his truck. When the door slips open, it takes everything in her to act natural about it. The Puck he she knows doesn't open doors for anyone, especially her. So taken by it, the blonde can barely manage a quiet sign of gratitude.

"Thank you," she whispers. He pulls around to the driver's side, turning on the radio. Driving on his own, he's more than happy with a little metal. At least to wake him up. He's in better company than that. Digging in the armrest, his iPod comes out of hiding and he tosses it to her. For now, she leaves it forgotten, taking hold of it while she glances around his vehicle. She sighs when she takes in his less than tidy floors. While he's not looking, she picks up a discarded bag and throws it in a small trash bag. Before she does, she notices the logo of a small bakery down the street. Without thinking, she finds her hand has wandered to her stomach, for much the same reason it did this morning. "Why do you always have to be such a pack rat?" she grumbles.

"I stopped for breakfast this morning. I knew you'd be pissed if I was late so I ate and drove. I bought six and left your favourites. There's one each in there." It's such a sweet gesture that she doesn't even have the hart to remind him that they were just a craving. She only let herself even touch them once a month under normal circumstances. She's already used her monthly reward.

"You were still late," she reminds him.

"Blame the florist chick," he mumbled. She notices him unwrapping a Hershey's bar with one hand and takes it from him. "Hey!" Puck knew she had a tendency to steal. In the quiet when they were left alone she often did so, with very little argument from him. Except when the taken object was of the chocolate variety.

"Eyes on the road." Quinn peels back the wrapping, taking a fairly big piece for herself before giving it back to him. Taking it back, he grimaces noticing she wasn't shy at all about taking a ginormous bite out of it.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted some when I opened it. You didn't have to put your entire mouth in it..."

"That's not my whole mouth," she clarified. "You got that extra hour. If anything, this chocolate bar should be mine."

"Sharing is caring," he mumbled.

"Says the one who failed Kindergarten," she laughed. "I don't even know how someone's able to do that."

"I told you before, I hated nap time."

"Now you love it," she mutters. "Now we can't even get the pan out of the cupboards without you throwing something down the stairs...Which is really funny since you aspired to be the next Ringo Starr..."

"A kid has to keep himself entertained somehow. All they freaking had were pots and pans."

"You're impossible," she mumbled. Puck just smirks, opening the armrest again.

"There's a bag of chocolate in there for you, you know. You didn't have to take mine." Despite the fact that she's shoved a quarter of it into her mouth, he still eats from it. Unlike Quinn, he doesn't freak out about sharing germs. They've shared a whole lot more than that over the last few months. She turns to see him offering her a bag of Hershey's kisses. She smiles. Another favourite. She's beginning to wonder how exactly he remembers all of this. Given her inability to keep her eyes open, she takes them without any questions. Instead, she just smiles. _That's three now_ she thinks. "I say you gotta gimme at least three," he says, an open palm ready to accept what's his.

"No."

"An eye for an eye, Fabray. You take mine, I take yours."

"Not happening."

"Bitch."

"Mutt."

"That doesn't even make sense." And it's not that he doesn't get the reference. When both parents come from the same damn place, it makes a guy pretty pure. He has to bite back the laugh he's let crawl up at his own joke. Nobody in this truck was untouched by anything.

"Yes it does." He's going to have to explain it to her later.

"Just eat your damn chocolate," he mutters.

"Gladly," she smirks. As she pops another one into her mouth, she flips through his iPod. She isn't surprised to see that ninety percent of it is Rock. As she scrolls, she almost chokes while she reads the name of one of his playlists. In it is a list of songs that are probably hers. Quinn doesn't remember giving him anything but grief. How the hell did she end up having a private selection on his music player? Surprisingly, it's a song she actually likes. "You listen to _Parachute_?" A dumb question but it's the only one she can think of to distract herself from the small realization.

"Just the one song," he says. She smiles, settling for the one track, laying her head back.

 _Should've kissed you there_

 _I should've held your face_

 _I should've watched those eyes_

 _Instead of run in place_

 _I should've called you out_

 _I should've said your name_

 _I should've turned around_

 _I should've looked again_

Quinn blinks several times, taking in Puck's rugged features as he's staring straight ahead. She can't help noticing how the sun plays on his face, revealing his defined jaw. It reminds her how solid, how determined Puck himself is. Now his demand to keep her makes even more sense. Just like her, it's who he is. The little she knows about his family is another nail in the coffin. He may not give a damn about anybody else but the guy stretches himself paper thin for his family. For just a second she wonders, quick to shake the thought free. She lost that right almost as quickly as she lost the right to their daughter, the reminder putting a fist in her throat.

 _I should've spoken up_

 _I should've proudly claimed_

 _That oh my head's to blame_

 _For all my hearts mistakes_

Her hand shoots out to turn it off before the song can go any further. She knows what's coming next. She knows what it means. She doesn't need the playlist title to know who it's for.

"I wasn't lying," he whispered. "I meant what I said."

"I know," she says softly. And she finds she's not just saying it either. Something about Puck has always made her so terrifyingly honest. Scarier still is the fact that she doesn't even have to think when she's around him. Quinn doesn't have to feel bad for saying anything, doing anything, being anything. "I'm sorry..." she barely whispers. She doesn't even know how much she's sorry about. In all the years she's known him, the things she's done to validate them have come together on the longest list she's probably ever made.

"S'alright," he shrugs. "I kind of am," he admits. He doesn't need words to tell him what all she's apologizing for. The loser comment was spot on. He hadn't exactly done anything to prove otherwise.

"No, you're not. I was just too stubborn, too scared to see it."

"I'm confused." It wasn't exactly a new feeling for him but the fact that she seems to be dancing around something just makes it more so.

"We both know how much alcohol we had that night."

"Barely anything. Those things are like juice."

"So, in a way, we were perfectly sober," she whispers, her voice catching as she lets a liquid warmth come down her cheeks. Anywhere else she would fight them off but Puck had already seen her at her literal worst.

"Yup. I told you the day she was born, too." He knows she's crying but also understands that it's best he doesn't say anything about it unless she wants him to. The second part of his confession makes her whimper pathetically, one she knows better than to swallow in his presence. No one had ever uttered anything close to that to her. Not even her mother. And even though they weren't the exact words, she knows what they lead to.

"I…" Puck sighs pulling over on the shoulder and throwing the car in park. He has to keep his hands steady if he's got any hope of continuing this conversation normally.

"I know you don't feel the same way. I'm just bein' honest with you," he said quietly. Quinn honestly has no idea what she feels. At the moment _she's_ the one who feels like a loser. So much so that she can't even look at him. She sighed, finally letting the lyrics fade as she watched life pass by through her window. As quickly as the conversation started, it died. She blinks, now completely lost. She'd never been in this part of town before.

"Puck, I think we're lost."

"Not lost," he said. "We're not there yet either though."

"Where are we going? I've never been this far out before." The notion should have flat out scared her. Quinn always knew where she was going and how long it took to get there. With nothing to go on, she should be close to some kind of breakdown by now. But the idiot somehow had a way of making it all okay.

"Still not telling. You'll just have to wait and see."

"I hate you," she growled. If she let him, they'd probably be in Texas by nightfall.

"I know," he smirks. After a few minutes, they finally pull into an unfamiliar neighborhood. For some reason, Quinn can't breathe again. Her heart's racing much faster than it should. There's only one reason they'd be….

"Puck….What are you doing?" He just continues driving, quietly pulling into a steep driveway.

"Come on," he says when he's finally pulled around to her side of the truck. Oh god, they have to turn around. They have to turn around _now_.

"Puck I wanna go home. Please just take me home..."

"Don't make me carry you, Fabray," he mutters. Biting through her lip, she can feel the bones in her legs rattling angrily. _How the hell does he know that?_ "

"We're trespassing!" she hissed. "Now you're really going to have to bail me out of jail!"

"Just calm the hell down, Quinn. Get outta the car or I'm gonna be forced to throw me over my shoulder." She groans, slowly stepping down.

"Whose house is this? Why are we here? How many illegal things are we doing at one time?" She knows the answers to all of these but if she keeps talking, she doesn't have to think about how wrong all of this is.

"Quinn, shut up and keep walking."

"Well I'm sorry if I don't wanna get arrested!"

"You're not gonna get arrested," he laughed. "Just trust me." She sighs, knowing where that line got them once before. She gulps as he leads her up the walk way.

"Puck, take me home!" she practically shouts. They're close enough that she knows they're going to come face to face with her soon, the idea making her physically sick. "Noah Puckerman, take me home!" He ignores her, almost ready to carry her the rest of the way. Both because she's getting extremely annoying and she can't seem to move anymore. He rings the doorbell, stepping back. "Why…?" Doesn't he know that this hurts too much already? Being here just makes it worse, not better. Puck quietly opens the unlocked door, taking Quinn with him as he steps inside. "You're just gonna walk inside?" she hissed. "This isn't even your house!" He just shrugs, guiding her into the foyer.

"Quinn, do a guy a favor and shut your freakin' trap. I warned her ahead of time. She knows it's us."

"Oh….Well, it's still rude to just walk into somebody else's house." Puck had warned Shelby. For some reason, that makes her even angrier. It makes her feel like she and Puck have these secrets, little things they do, that she hasn't been a part of. That she's not allowed to be involved in. _You didn't exactly make it known_ she reminds herself.

"In the kitchen," Shelby calls. Puck releases the hold he's had on her waist. As subtle as it is, she can't help missing it now that it's gone. After several steps, Puck turns to face her.

"You coming?" Taking a deep breath, she forces herself forward. "Just breathe," he whispered. She nods, trying to do as he's suggested. Timidly, she makes her way into the kitchen. Almost immediately, there are hints of her everywhere. Forgotten bottles, a highchair, plastic spoons sitting on the counter.

The weight is back, twice as heavy now. As hard as she tries, the tears just won't stop. It's just a kitchen. It's no different than any other home. Except for the fact that it is. Blinking furiously, she finds a chair and throws the weight of her body into it.

"I'm sorry the kitchen's such a mess. I've been running around trying to get some kind of organization going and it really just never seems to stay that way." Puck just shrugs, taking an open seat next to Quinn. Taking her shaking hand, he offers her a squeeze, a quick glance to make sure she's okay. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the question in his eyes. All she can do is shake her head, not exactly sure if she is or isn't okay. "How have you been, Puck?" Shelby asks, pulling out three glasses and filling them with water. Quinn can't help throwing him a glance. They're talking like he's been here before. She made a quick note to ask about that on their way home.

"I've been…good," he says, taking an obvious pause.

"That's good. I hope school's going alright for the two of you," she smiles. Noticing that she's made the question plural, Quinn wonders if that's a cue for her to finally open her mouth and say something.

"Same as always," she shrugs. _Except it's not_. If it's made her sound rude, Shelby shows no sign of being offended. The conversation between the three of them is obviously forced. It's not hard to notice how awkwardly everything has been said and asked.

"She's up in the nursery if you'd like to go see her," she offers.

"Thanks," Puck says, already getting up from his place at the table. Quinn glances between the two of them, not exactly sure what's going on. Okay, she knows what's going on, the whole thing just seems so….easy. She'd expect Shelby to be defensive, forcefully accepting that they've come to see Beth. She almost seems….okay with why they're here. Quinn can't help wondering why that is. Hesitantly, she follows him out, taking careful steps, like she's now on forbidden territory. Which she has to admit, she kind of is. She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be intruding when all of this was really meant for Shelby. Beth's _real_ mother. She can't help but envy Puck. He doesn't have to compete with anyone. Beth's only ever going to have one father. Whether he's raising her or not, that's always going to be his place. Quinn gave that up. Now she's here, acting like she should be allowed to take it back. She's not. She's not allowed to erase the choices she's made.

As they make it to her nursery (the one room with a carefully sculpted _Beth_ carving on the door), nerves completely consume her. What is she even doing here? Beth has no idea who she is. She has no idea that the woman downstairs isn't her actual mother. Yet, that's all she does know. That's all she's ever going to know. The truth of that statement hits Quinn like a solid brick. She can't help feeling deprived. Deprived. The one feeling, along with so many others, that she's not allowed to feel. She chose this. She's going to have to live with it. Yet, the idea of her daughter calling someone else her mama? That hasn't settled. That's not okay yet. It probably never would be. But again, it's a consequence of her ultimate decision.

Puck quietly opens the door, stepping inside. Quinn follows close behind, letting the tears build again as she takes in the smiling little girl keeping herself entertained. Finally alerted to company, she looks up at them. A set of eyes identical to Quinn's looking right at them, a wide smile on her face. A smile that is all her father.

"Hey you," Puck smiles as they both watch her crawl over to him. "How's my girl?" A raging fire fills Quinn's chest. The envy is back worse than before. _She knows him_.

"How does she recognize you?" she asks, jealously more than obvious in her question. She knows she shouldn't be feeling anything close to this. She had chosen to close all doors. Who's to say that Puck didn't still keep some of them open? He had every right to want that. The fact that Shelby seems to allow it makes all of that easier to achieve.

"I come and see her every couple weeks," he says, letting Beth play with his fingers, barely blinking when she shoves one of them in her small mouth. Quinn watches her settle in, smiling around her father's finger. "You like that, huh?" he laughed kissing her temple. Beth hums in response perfectly content.

"You're here every couple of weeks and never even bothered to tell me?" she glares. She has no idea where these accusations are coming from. What the two...three of them decide to do has absolutely nothing to do with her. It's when the little girl presses up against her father's chest that Quinn feels her stomach start to heave.

"Quinn, it's not like that," he sighs.

"Enlighten me," she bites back fighting the bitter taste in her mouth. "Tell me why our daughter knows you and has no idea who I am."

"You were the one who said we shouldn't talk anymore. You were the one who said you wanted to be left alone. I know how sore a subject this is for you. I knew that bringing it up would get you mad. So I just…didn't."

"So very kind of you," she growls.

"Hey, I was only doing what you told me to do. I left you alone. Leaving you alone means conversations are slim to none." Funny since they seemed to have two of those a day for well over a year. In those talks she let Puck see more of her than she ever thought she would be willing to show.

"You could have at least let me know," she whispered.

"Kinda hard to do when you don't even look at me," he pointed out. Quinn sighs, not wanting to argue.

"I'm sorry, okay? I know I haven't exactly been the easiest person to deal with."

"Are you ever?" he smirked.

"I really don't want to start a pointless argument, Puck. Not today," she whispers. She looks up to see that he's not even paying attention to her anymore. The two of them are sharing a secret that she can't even make out. She just rolls her eyes, until finally, she notices Beth slowly making her way over to her. When she settles in front of her, curious eyes wandering her face, Quinn has no idea what she's supposed to do. Beth's just…staring at her. "Hi," Quinn whispers, a small smile on her face. Beth small hand traces her palm and Quinn can feel tears once again gathering in her eyes. The action is so simple, so innocent.

Beth's small hands come up to trace her face now, stopping for a second at the gathering moisture. Her small lips begin a tremor as her own eyes well with tears.

"Crap, now I've made her cry," she sighs. Instinct takes over as she takes the baby into her lap, running her hand quietly through her hair. She smiles, once again struck by how similar it is to the man beside her. Puck can't help noticing the interaction. Quinn seems so natural. "Shh,"she whispers.

"She tends to be really empathetic," he offers. He groans when her eyes widen, mockery at the tip of her tongue.

"You actually know what that means?" she gasped, her face splitting into an unexpected smile.

"Quinn, I'm not a moron." He knew little to nothing about a lot of things but his word selection wasn't _that_ small.

"Could've fooled me," she laughed. "How often do you see her?" she whispered, barely flinching when small hands reach for and tug at her lip.

"I come by after games and stuff. Bored outta my skull after most of them. We never win anything." He keeps to himself just how much it would mean to be with her if they did. "Gives me an excuse to see her."

"Shelby doesn't mind?" Even while she asks, the earlier conversation says she does. Puck just doesn't care. And even though she knows that he should at least be kind enough to respect her wishes, there are certain things she knows not to fight him on.

"Well, we're not exactly best friends or anything but she's kinda come to accept it."

"You're lucky," she whispered. "You have the guts to come in and be a part of her life. I….I don't know if I can…" And she really doesn't. Not after being so firm on the adoption. Even if she was, something told her that having both of them show up all the time would ruin any future opportunities for Puck. She wasn't about to get in the way of that while he still had them.

"All you have to do is ask," he says. He says it like it's the most straightforward concept ever. They both know it's not but he always had a way of looking at the other end of it. She knew he fought to get the little that he already does. Puck was lazy yes but when it came to his daughter? There was literally no stopping him, no matter what arrangement they made.

"I don't think you get it, Puck. You don't have to compete with anyone. You're always going to be the only father in her life. Over time, she's going to look at you as exactly that. If I step in I'm just going to confuse her." Puck just smirked as he pulled out his wallet. Raising her brow in curiosity, Quinn watches him put it on the floor next to Beth. Small fingers dance across the image in wander. It's a candid of her, in a light blue blouse, much like the dress she's wearing now.

"How did you…How did you get that picture?" Much like he's been doing the entire day, he ignores her question, now focusing his attention on Beth.

"Beth, who's this?" he whispers pointing to the picture. Wide eyes turn to Puck and back to Quinn several times, the little girl's brow knit in concentration. "Beth, who's that in the picture?" The little girl turns to her father, her small face creased in frustration she's adopted from Quinn. Her mouth opens and closes several times before she makes a first attempt.

"A…Am." Quinn can feel her tears spilling over again as she watches Beth's struggle.

"Almost," he says quietly. Little fingers trace the face in the picture before coming up to the one in front of her. "You got it," he whispered. Quinn waits as he mutely mouths the word to her and resists the urge to cry openly now. "Who's she?"

"Ma…" It's quiet and almost inaudible but she's heard it. "Ma…" she says again. By now any composure she's kept is gone. The tears are flowing openly; Beth's small hand coming to gently absorb what her tiny hand can of the tears.

"How…?" she asks, incapable of uttering anything else.

"We've worked with this picture for the last few months," he says. "Took her a while but a couple of weeks or so ago, she started doing it all by herself."

"Shelby's gonna kill you," she whispered. Puck just shrugged. She knows he's dealt with worse than the woman downstairs but it's more the fact that he didn't have to do this at all. His time with Beth was his. They didn't have to waste it on getting her to recognize a woman she was never going to see.

"I'm still breathing, aren't I?" he smirked.

"As sweet as this is, you know it's only gonna confuse her more, right?"

"Don't know. I think I gave her the talking gene. Shelby hasn't gotten excited over first words yet." Well he just kept piling them on, didn't he? Her two favourite guilty pleasures, a list of songs that reminded him of her. And now this. Quinn was her first word? None of it made any sense. "When do you find time to do this?" she smiled.

"I don't party too much anymore. Friday nights mostly."

"What's she gonna do to you when she finally catches you?"

"There's not much she can do. It's the truth. She says she wants to be as honest as she can with Beth. So she doesn't repeat the sh—stuff that went down with Berry. If it happens, it happens." As believable as that was, the blonde somehow doubted she would let it go that easy.

"But it's not fair," she sighed.

"It's as fair as we want it to be," he says.

"Shelby's her mom, Puck. In every way that counts, Shelby's her mama. It might take a while but I'm getting used to it. This is sweet, Noah but honestly, it's not fair. You have to earn labels like that. You have to live up to them."

"You're getting used to it? Really?" he asked, his tone speaking to everything she tried so hard to cover up.

"Noah..." He hates it on anybody else's tongue. The only people allowed to call him that are his sister and his mom. But right here, right now, she's almost caressing it. Gone are the knives she keeps, tucked away late at night when it's just them. He's heard it then too and just chooses to keep silent about it.

"Do you want to be as big a part of her life as you can?" He asks that like it doesn't have the most obvious answer in the world. As confused as she is, of course she does. Quinn just knows that she's not allowed.

"I don't know….It might end up hurting too much. To know that she's worked so hard, and to want to take that away from her? It isn't right."

"Up to you," he said. "You either find a way to be a part of her life or you let the guilt eat away at you."

"Now you're making me look like the bad guy," she sighed.

"I'm trying to help you, Quinn. Tell me honestly. How do you feel right now?"

"Free? Liberated? Like that weight has been taken off my chest? I don't know."

"How often have you let yourself smile in the last ten minutes?"

"Once, twice?"

"I think I counted four," he smirked. "Four of 'em and they all reached your eyes."

"That doesn't mean anything," she countered.

"Yeah, it does. Just being around her makes you feel better. I haven't seen you this happy since she was born. I've seen you angry, I've seen you upset, I've seen you down-right pissed at people. I've never seen you really happy."

"I think about it every day," she whispered.

"I know. I see it your eyes. I do it too." The fact that he watches her so closely should make her angry. Instead the bubble she swallowed early resurfaces. After everything she's done to him, taken from him. The way she's treated him probably sits worse than anything else. The guy's lost hours of sleep for her. He's listened her talk in circles. He's heard her cry. Puck has been a witness to gut wrenching sobs and all she seems to do is spit in his face.

"Puck, we have to learn to accept things the way they are."

"Doesn't mean we can't find some kind loophole. Come with me next time. See how you feel after and see if it's anything like how you feel right now."

"I don't know…"

"You don't know until you try," he pointed out. "Hey Beth." She turns her head quickly, focusing her attention on Puck. She smiles widely, crawling over to him and promptly settling herself in his lap. Her head settles on his chest again, small hands grazing the stubble that's started to grow on his face. She laughs, running her hands along the prickly texture again. "I guess that tickles, huh?" he smiles. "Just like….this," he says letting his fingers dance across her chest. Her response is an uncontrollable laugh that echoes through the room. As it carries on for the three minutes in which she's being "tortured", Quinn notices just how infectious it actually is. Without reason, she too is laughing. It takes her a minute to realize just how foreign a feeling it is. She hasn't let herself laugh like this in almost a year. It feels good.

"You're good with her," she observes.

"Thanks," he smiles. "I love you, Beth," he whispers. Quinn smiles, knowing he probably didn't intend for her to hear that. She watches Beth set her hand on his chest and just lets it sit there. It's nowhere near where it's supposed to be but the symbolism is enough. _She's not the only one who does_ she thought. Admitting it to herself is scary enough. She doesn't even know if it's true. For now, she'll let the idea roll around in her head. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. She knows now that ruling out the idea entirely isn't an option anymore. They've shared too much for her to do that to him. "Hey, who's that over there?" She knows that he's only doing it to please her now. Or maybe he's not. Either way, the smile on her face is still as wide as the first time.

"Ma…"

"Atta girl," he grins.

"So _that's_ why you made me wear blue," she laughed.

"That and the fact that I really, really like it on you. Makes you look hot," he smirked. The typical comment isn't even relatively related. But all at once, she realizes why they're here at all. She wonders if that's why Shelby put up no fight to them being here.

"Thank you," she smiles. Now she knows that he _definitely_ didn't have to invite her. If anything, her presence could sour it in seconds. Even on his birthday Puck wanted to give her something so irreplaceable and special. She should be the one to do all of those little things for him. Maybe she'd skip out on the part with the flowers but everything else..."Happy birthday," she whispers. She wants to punch herself for crying again. Now she just looks ungrateful for such a gift.

"Glad you could make it," he smiles. She makes a mental note to keep remembering them. Puck deserves that much. "You look beautiful, Quinn," he mumbles. Those few words sober her up more quickly than almost anything else. This side of Puck is a rare sight, one she's only seen when curtains are drawn. Even though the words hardly seem to pass his lips, the little things he seems to always be doing for her make the words even more believable. He seals it with a kiss that she gladly gives him. It's the best she can do since coming in empty-handed and ripping his head off moments before.

"Thank you..."

"I should be thanking you," he corrected. She wants to ask him why, when he just presses on. "You gave me this," he whispers. Knowing exactly what he was talking about, the subject of their new conversation giggles, almost as if she knows.

"Oh look, a true, Puckerman," Quinn joked. "Thinks that all we do is talk about her."

"Well she's not wrong," he grinned. "Are you?" he laughed biting playfully at her chin when she stands perched on his legs. Beth lets out a round of uncontrollable laughter that knocks her off balance. The little girl is barely phased as she's landed right back in his lap. "Careful you don't pee yourself. Then we're gonnna have to tell her how you got out of this ugly pink dress. Not that you have a lot of great options..."

"Hey, pink's a perfectly fine colour," Quinn countered.

"Quinn, Puckermans don't wear pink...Becca couldn't stand the colour. I don't know how she can."

"You can thank me for that," she said poking out her tongue.

"Okay so Mama might put you in a ton of that but I won't..." It scared her how easily he talked about it, about them, even though the situation left virtually no room for it. Worse was how easily Quinn found herself feeding into it.

"Just don't put her in black and I think we can all be happy."

"Q, not even _I_ where black in this heat."

"You actually do."

"Leather jacket doesn't count."

"Whatever. Puck, you didn't have to-"

"Wanted to," he said easily cutting her off. "It's my birthday and I can do what I want," he smirked. On any other day she would have scoffed. But everything he'd done was so intimately thought out. He had given her literally everything in the span of a day that was supposed to be all about him.

"Thank you, Noah," she repeats offering him a flighty kiss on the cheek. He's a little shocked at what she's just done. She knows it by the way he's stiffened up a little. He probably thought the one he'd gotten earlier was a heat of the moment thing. As much as she would like to think so, as easy as it would be to just chalk it up to that, there were few things the blonde could forget. Near the top of that list was the taste of his kiss. She knows it's selfish to ask for it after so much time has passed but she's beyond stopping herself when she finds the warmth of his lips and how easily he takes to them.

"Welcome," he mumbles, too stunned for anything else. He turns to her, selfishly wanting more than what she's given him. But that's just who he is. He always wants more than what he's already been given. For one reason and one reason only. He's Noah Puckerman. He can pull whatever he wants from a girl without even trying. He's learned that Quinn's different. She gives people what she wants and nothing more than that. He's going to have to settle for what he's gotten and be grateful for it. Even though he knows it's a lot more than he deserves.

* * *

Puck's final phrase hangs in the air for a minute before Quinn lets herself nod. She can deny it all she wants, but the truth is sitting in that very room. She glances over to see Beth staring at her, her fist in her mouth. Yes. The truth is looking her right in the face. Whether she admits it out loud or not, everything holds more meaning now. Only Puck's second birthday as a father, but the first that Beth might actually remember. At least through shared memories. Memories that weren't going to disappear just because she tried so hard to make them fade. Not just because she remembers the pain but because ever since, there's been a void. A space that only the little girl laying her head comfortably against her father's chest, can fill. Quinn offers a small smile, reaching over to take Beth's fist from her mouth. Her reply is a solid pout that makes Quinn chuckle.

"Just like her old man," Puck mumbles. "Doesn't like to be told she can't have something," he smirks. She gently shoves him with a roll of her eyes. Quinn just sighs when she sees that, only moments later, her fist is in its rightful place. "She's done that twice now. Shelby says it means she's hungry." He notices her visibly stiffen and offers her hand a gentle squeeze. Her reply is a reluctant sigh as she puts a larger distance between them.

"I guess we should head back down then," she whispers. As much as she knows they have to, she really doesn't want to go. Once there, reality will hit her harder than when she first came in. That's where Shelby is, filling the space that she chose to give up. That's where she's eventually going to have to leave Beth. That's where the truth will hit her like a thousand knives. The fact is that this isn't her life, this isn't her daughter. Sure, she's given her life and a string of DNA but that's really all Quinn has done. Puck nods helping her to her feet. He hasn't missed the shadow in her gaze. A quiet whimper sends Puck's hand gently along her back as her head settles in the crook of his neck.

Once they've made it back to the kitchen, Shelby looks up with a sigh. She's already got a plastic bowl sitting on her tray and silently asks Puck to set her there. He sighs, preparing himself for the struggle she's so famous for. Like him, she hates being trapped. As he lowers her, she's already started resisting. Once he's let her go completely Beth whimpers in protest. Shelby smiles widely offering her a spoonful of food. Frustration bubbles up inside of him when she hardly seems to notice the little girl's discomfort.

"Well, it looks like someone's hungry," she says softly. Puck restrains the urge to roll his eyes at the woman. He wants to remind her that Quinn is standing right next to him but just lets his lips form a solid line, his arm coming to rest on her lower back. He notices her close her eyes for a minute and realizes that her weight has shifted. He's careful to keep her steady as they make their way back to the table. As he sits, Quinn finds herself landing in his lap. Right now, where she is and who it is doesn't matter. All she knows is that she's not willing to move. If she moves, she runs. If she steps away, she'll find her way to the front door and down the street, before she can second guess her actions.

Shelby has turned to face them now keeping a pace with Beth's breakfast. Turning to face them, she raises a curious brow. She frowns when she sees that Beth's aimed her gaze directly at Puck while she eats. Quinn notices this as well and can't help the smirk that crosses her lips. Puck uses her long blond hair to muffle a chuckle and hide a satisfied smirk of his own. When he's pulled himself out, he notices Beth reaching to close the distance between them. He turns the two of them around to face her as he offers Beth his hand to take hold of. Both he and Quinn can't help a short laugh when they realize which finger she's grabbed. Shelby's face flutters a look of disappointment before letting a short-lived chuckle escape.

"The finger?" Quinn whispers so only Puck can hear.

"Don't look at me, I didn't teach her that. And it's not like she didn't try and get her attention like a normal person. Just doesn't care. Now that it's "wrong" she cares." Quinn wanted to point out that the implication she's unknowingly made _is_ wrong but Shelby's overly chipper mood stops her from saying so.

"It's just coincidence," Shelby says quickly. To himself, Puck likes to think otherwise and just lets a smug look be directed at the kitchen floor.

"It's her inner badass," he whispered. Quinn shoves him gently but smiles just the same. Puck looked up at the sound of a muffled grunt to see Beth's pleading eyes. She's rejected her next bit of food as she pushes forward in her chair.

"C'mon Beth," Shelby pleads, again presenting her with a small portion of mixed veggies. The offering is knocked right out of her hand and onto the kitchen floor. Puck waits only ten seconds for some kind of reaction before directing his attention at Beth. With an expression that looks a lot like her mother's, the little girl looks ready to blow her top.

"Shh," he whispers. "Relax. I'm not big on veggies either but they gotta down." He says it even though it's not even about the food being shoved in her face. It's easier than why she's really freaking out. It wasn't the first time he'd seen such a reaction and he had a sinking feeling it wouldn't be the last. After two more tries with little success, Shelby huffs in frustration following the little girl's line of vision. The fact that she's got a death grip on Puck's finger is hard to miss.

"Maybe she just doesn't like the chair," Puck offers.

"She never does," she laughs. He gives Quinn a gentle nudge and walks over, removing the tray and lets her settle in his lap again. She sighs happily clinging to the hem of his shirt.

"I bet you feel better now that you're free," he whispers. She only laughs. The breeze of his breath probably tickles. "Open nice and big. The sooner that's gone, the sooner Daddy can get you a present." She throws him a grateful glance as Beth now willingly accepts. The conversation between father and daughter seems to go right over the older woman's head. Out of the corner of his eye, Puck can see Quinn go stiff for a second as he talks softly to her. Shelby's too enthralled in Beth to notice Puck throw her an apologetic look. Quinn just shrugs, not wanting to make a big deal of what she sees. Deep down though, she can't help but envy the woman with a plastic bowl in her hands. With Beth sitting happily on Puck's lap, she can't help feeling like a third wheel.

"Would you mind if I use your bathroom real quick?" Quinn asks, cutting Shelby's conversation with Beth off mid-sentence. Finally looking up at her, she nods.

"Down the hall and to your right," she supplied. Before she can get another look from Puck, the blonde makes her escape. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she leans against it for a minute, blinking several times. For a minute she wonders why she's even here. It's clear that Shelby doesn't want her around. It's been an hour and the two have barely said three words to each other, even if it is his birthday. He could just as easily make them two separate events but he went ahead and shoved them all together making it all kinds of awkward for everyone. She knows that she's intruding but really, if she wants to point fingers anyone it should be Puck. He's the one who brought her. Puck's the one who put a glitch in Shelby's perfectly peaceful Saturday.

Despite her front, Quinn knows it's not even about Puck. He seems to be well-behaved enough to earn the right to keep coming back. She's the one who's never been here, an open threat to the owner of the house. All the same, it hurts to watch. It kind of irks her to see how accepting (albeit not all too happily) she is of his being there. Her little girl knows them. It stabs her to admit that she really has no claim to Beth. She's just visiting for the first time (she was really not planning to visit at all) so of course she's not going to get a reaction out of her. In the silence of the bathroom she hears them laughing. The sound pulls at her heart more painfully than she'd ever say out loud.

Quietly letting herself back into the hall, she finds herself gravitating toward the front door. If she leaves now, if she's quiet enough, they won't even notice she's gone. She knows Puck will corner her about it later but right now getting out is her best option. She can't go back in there. If she does, she's only going to blend in and go unnoticed. She'll be forced to watch while they paint the picture of a perfect little family. Quietly, Quinn pulls on the front door, cringing as it squeaks. The shuffle of chairs sends her eyes darting back and forth.

"Quinn?" she hears him call out to her. _Shit_. Slowly, she returns to the kitchen, palm outstretched for the keys to his truck. Pulling them out, he eyes her suspiciously, keeping the collection of keys firmly in his palm.

"I left my chocolate in the truck," she said. "I'm this close to falling asleep," she sighed. He nods, giving her a solid look before relinquishing them. The minute she has them, Quinn finds herself making it to the door in leaps and bounds. Once inside, she just sits there, hands on the wheel, her precious chocolate sitting in her lap as she eats them slowly. If she just stuck them in the ignition, she could be off before Puck had a chance to catch up with her. It's not like he would miss his truck right away. From the way she'd seen him with Beth she knew he'd be there for a while. Quite possibly until dark, at which point the heat would die down and he can walk to her place to get his truck back. For a minute, she considers if maybe that's a little cruel, considering all that he's already done for her today. But soon she just shakes her head. It's the perfect punishment for what he's forced her to be a part of.

"But then I'll be forced to listen to him yell at me for hours tonight. He'll carry the fact that I ruined his birthday and hold it over my head for the next decade," she sighed. The last thing she needed was to be up for hours on end during another one of their arguments. Noticing that the bag is still half full, she smiles, quickly deciding that she will stay, but it sure as hell isn't going to sit there quietly anymore.

Slipping back inside, she takes the seat next to Puck. He can't help noticing the change in her energy and smiles. He throws her a curious glance as his eyes fall on the half eaten bag. He nods, glad to see that she's got something to lift her spirits a little. Puck lets his hand slip discreetly into view showing her his open palm. Sighing, Quinn rolls her eyes dropping a few into his hand after unwrapping them. He's still got a firm hold on Beth, who probably has no intention of moving. As he pops them into his mouth, he growls quietly when he notices that some of it has melted into his palm.

"See that, Quinn? I'm just that hot," he whispered. Quinn lets out a frustrated sigh, careful to keep the rest of the bag out of his reach. She lets out a subtle growl at the sight of his familiar pout. "You agree with me then?" he whispered.

"I never said that," she shot back.

"How'd she get here then? Cause I mean, I haven't exactly made a lot of 'em but I know I don't make ugly kids."

"The stork." she said simply.

"Bullshit," he mumbled. Puck redirects his attention at Beth who's got a persistent beat going as a way of demanding his attention. "What?" Beth lets a small finger graze the chocolate that lathers his palm. She studies it for a minute before tentatively bringing it to her mouth. Before she can get a taste Shelby's hand quickly pulls it away.

"No baby. You can't eat that," she snapped. Being denied the mysterious treat, Beth's eyes have begun to well with tears. Puck eyes her questioningly, trying his hardest to keep the coat of anger from his gaze. Shelby stands, taking Beth to her silently. Again the little girl has put up resistance, reaching frantically for the man with the candy she's barely tasted. Being taken from Puck has only made her even more upset, her deep wails echoing through the kitchen. Quinn tries not to cringe at the extreme volume, glaring daggers at her as she tries (with little success) to quiet the crying child.

"What the hell?" Puck mutters. The sound of his daughter's cries, no thanks to her adoptive mother, cut Puck deeper than he'd ever felt before. It's like someone has taken a rock and pelted it at him before he can defend himself. He rises angrily following Shelby's figure as she paces the kitchen with a red-faced baby on her shoulder. The fact that he's throwing him a set of pleading eyes while reaching for him just makes him feel even worse.

"I know baby but you're too little," she whispers. Both Quinn and Puck roll their eyes at her ridiculousness, trying their hardest to be unnerved by their daughter's helpless expression. The woman can't even wrap her head around the fact that there was so much more to it than that. Puck's suspicions aside, Shelby had scared her for absolutely no reason.

"I'm sure a little bit of chocolate wouldn't have hurt her," Quinn voices over her daughter's consistent protests. The older woman spins to glare at her, her mouth forming a grim line.

"She's one year old, Quinn. She shouldn't be introduced to sugar for at least another year."

"That's a load of crap," Puck mutters. "Ma gave me tastes here and there before my first birthday."

"Excuse me?"

"Shelby, it's not even that much," he says carefully. "A little taste wouldn't have killed her."

"And how do you know?" she shot back. "For all we know she could be lactose intolerant. She could get rushed to the hospital over your carelessness. Why do you think I fed her formula for the first year? I didn't want to risk it!"

"Oh I don't know, maybe because you're not her mother?" Quinn finally says, drawing enough strength to finally speak. It's a grain of common sense that once again has been readily ignored. If Quinn was really concerned about putting their daughter in a good home with accomplished parents, they probably should have looked a little harder.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. You aren't her biological mother so logically you're going to give her formula. You have no other choice." The three seconds of pain that fly across the woman's face don't have Quinn feeling an ounce of sorry. After what she's seen today, she has to wonder where her head was a year ago. The three of them were only alone for an hour and in that time she's seen more potential in a self-proclaimed badboy than she has in a woman well into her forties.

"Yeah, you don't have the tits," Puck clarified. She glares at him out of the corner of her eye but says nothing. "She hasn't stopped crying since you took her from me and if she's anything like her _mother_ , she's not going to stop until she gets what she wants."

"You're not giving her the chocolate, Noah."

"Don't call me Noah," he bites. "And I may or may not give it to her. Depends on how I feel in a few seconds. Gimme my daughter." He knows better than to add what day it is, knowing that for this lady it wouldn't make a difference if he told her he was dying of cancer.

"No. She'll be fine in a few minutes. She just doesn't like to be told no."

"You scared her, Shelby. She's not going to calm down anytime soon," Quinn says evenly.

"I'm sorry Quinn but how would you know that? You've been here for no more than a few hours. Please don't go about telling me how to be a parent."

"You have no clue," Puck muttered. If she had any idea, they had yet to see a decent effort put forth. If anything, Shelby should be overdoing it to show them that they'd made the right decision. Instead he's wondering if she's figured anything out since her attempt with Rachel. The fact that Beth's birthday has come and gone (along with their chance to take her back without any questions asked) seems to be proving irrelevant.

"Say that again?'

"Beth's your first real shot at the parenting thing." As he speaks, Quinn feels the heat of a thousand little lit up signs indicating her poor choices as a mother. If this gets worse, she'll never hear the end of it.

"I vaguely remember giving birth to another little girl about seventeen years ago," she smiled. It's nothing genuine. Quinn can read that for miles. She can pull those off ten times better and make them a hell of a lot more believable.

"You've barely said two words to Rachel," Quinn laughed. "When you met she was already practically an adult."

"Doesn't mean I didn't try when she was born." Shelby didn't have to try. Berry had never shut up about her family life. The way in which she was conceived was a story they had all heard more than a few times.

"Turkey baster baby," Puck mumbles. "You didn't have to try. You just gave her the x, signed your name in a couple of places and forgot about her."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Her flustered expression gave him enough time to quietly take her back into his arms, smiling softly when her fingers brushed his stubble.

"Hi there pretty girl." She let out a shaky sigh, meeting him with flushed cheeks and glazed eyes.

"Ma..." she barely whispered.

"Give her a minute. She'll be right over." Turning his attention back to Shelby, he watched a wide smile break across her face. _That's not for_ you he thought. "That ship has sailed," Puck reminded her. "It left the harbour the minute you offered her to two guys who were actually mature enough to be parents."

"Exactly. It's been a few years. I'm more mature now, more experienced. When I had Rachel I was just barely your age, in no position to raise a child. I had school and dreams to fulfill. Which is why, Beth is here with me."

"Just because you're older, doesn't mean you're qualified," Puck laughed.

"Parenthood doesn't require certification, Puck."

"Uh yeah, it kinda does. Those adoption papers we signed a year ago? Yeah, those were signed as a promise to us that if we couldn't take her, then you'd do your very best to provide her with a life that we couldn't."

"And I have!" she bellowed which only made Beth startle and continue to cry. Puck growls quietly to himself, pulling the baby closer to him. The sudden move has surprised her yet again but the gentle rubbing of her back calms her enough to settle her tear-stained cheek against his shoulder.

"You really don't know how to argue with a baby, do you?" Shelby just blinks several times before returning to her solid glare. "You don't raise your voice at or around them. It's common sense."

"He's right," Quinn muttered throwing him a smile.

"Oh and I suppose you know everything when it comes to babies," she scoffed.

"I babysit enough," she said. "She's just a baby, Shelby. She doesn't understand the difference between getting yelled at and just being denied something. It's all in your tone."

"My tone was just fine," Shelby muttered. "Beth just puts up a fight when she can't have what she wants."

"She must get this a lot then," Puck whispered. Quinn offers him a subtle nod in agreement. He sees the bag she's still got a hold of behind her back and quietly takes one. While Shelby's muttering to herself he quietly pops most of it into his mouth, offering Beth the small piece that's left. "Here you go, baby girl. Try this," he whispers. He has to go in search of her mouth while her head sits on his shoulder. After a minute she opens her mouth letting herself whimper for a few seconds. With a bit of gentle coaxing she accepts the treat as Puck makes sure that Shelby still isn't looking. He smiles when he notices that Quinn's got her very well distracted.

"…be gentle with her." Puck can't wipe the smile off his face. Not only is it extremely entertaining to watch a toned down catfight (sans claws and violence) but from the pouty expression on Shelby's face, his baby mama's winning.

"Don't tell me how to raise my daughter, Quinn." He sees her go stiff and keeps himself from commenting, his daughter a welcome distraction. Her moistened face is directed at him now, his knuckle brushing the streaming tears.

"If it wasn't for my age and the fact that I was still in school, you wouldn't even know about Beth," she snapped. "So as far as I'm concerned, she's as much my daughter as I want her to be."

"If it was up to me, she'd be ours," Puck supplied. "But it's not. The choice was Quinn's to make and now that she's offered you round two, you best treat it with the respect that it deserves. And that means treating Quinn with a hell of a lot more than she's been getting. She didn't have to give this to you and now that she has, you're throwing it in her face."

"I am doing no such thing," she whispered.

"I can tell that you purposefully do and say things just to set her off. Before she left for the truck, you just let her sit there and watch. You didn't even try speaking to her."

"Beth and I are so used to having the place to ourselves that being social really isn't a norm." Puck raised his brow and bit back a harsh laugh. "I'm sorry if I haven't been so engaging lately," she sighed. "This is all so new, so different."

"And what do you think all of this is for her? Hell, it's even different for _me._ I should be at home drinking and smoking some weed or something. God knows it'd be nice to after a day like this. But that's not how I wanna spend my birthday. I'd rather be here, spending it with my daughter and her mother. 'Cause the truth is, that's what 'normal teens' are supposed to do. Smashed till they can't see straight and so high they don't even know their own name. But we're not 'normal teens', are we?" Puck asked. "Let's be real. I brought here for me. _I_ was sick and tired of watching a girl who had a foot in every ivy league school in the country put her grades in the toilet when I know that's not who she is. _I_ was sick and tired of sitting on the phone with her through the night while she cried for the daughter she sacrificed because she knew that she deserved better. I'll sit on the damn phone till the sun comes up with this girl but it's when she cries that I just wanna be done."

Even though she knows that's not at all what he means, his little rant makes Quinn feel guiltier than ever. She steeled herself, preparing for his next words, knowing that when he jumps on this train, what he lets come out isn't scripted at all. "Because I can't _do_ anything. I used to be able to fix everything. That's not me being cocky, it's the truth. 3am I shot out of bed before she had to ask me twice. I barely had my pants on when I made it to the truck. The graveyard guy even looked at me like I was a damn psycho half the time. But I did it. I fixed it. Rubbing her feet for so long she'd fall asleep. I held her hair back when she puked. I snuck bacon into the house for her too." Quinn had to find a place at the table to hold what little of herself she still had together. All of it was so painfully true. "Who held her for two straight weeks when we gave you Beth? It sure as hell wasn't you. You were supposed to be holding this, loving her. And what do we see? The exact opposite. Even if she isn't ours, today is going to mean more for the rest of my life. The guilt of what she's done is eating her up inside and being here; being with Beth helps her forget that for a little while. So, I'm sorry if we're, _intruding_ on your precious Saturday. I'm sorry that the reality of the situation is too much for you."

"It's not that," she whispered. "It's just…You have no idea what you being here and leaving does to her…"

"Oh I have a very good idea," he said softly, brushing Beth's hair back tenderly. "She won't let go of me for at least an hour but I have no other choice. It kills me, Shelby. It kills me to know that I have to walk in and out and let you fill in the blanks. It kills me to know I can't be a father to my own baby. You're going to have to kill me before I become my own father." Quinn's gut twisted painfully while she fought the bile rising in her throat. Even if he's never said it, she knows that's what she's done. To some capacity, in an attempt to prevent absentee parents, she made that of them.

"You are her father, Puck," Quinn offers quietly. "You're her daddy. I'm the one who's intruding."

"Maybe this would all be easier if you just stopped visiting all together," she suggested. Two sets of blazing eyes shot toward the older woman, Quinn's muscles tighter than they'd been since early this morning.

"No way in hell," he muttered. "I read somewhere that we have up to a year to change our minds."

"She already had her birthday," Shelby pointed out. He swallowed, his rant leaving his mind completely blank for those few moments.

"After what we've seen, I'm not sure it matters," Quinn said quietly. "I'm not letting my daughter grow up like this...like me."

"Like us," Puck added roughly.

"You've barely been here long enough to accuse me of such ridiculous things," Shelby muttered. "So I snapped. That doesn't make me a bad mother. Neither does not giving a baby sugar. If anything I'm teaching her proper eating habits. And instead of being grateful, you throw me under the bus. I don't care whose birthday it is. I will not be disrespected in my own home."

"And I don't give a damn who you are. My daughter deserves better than being treated like a caged animal."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not too good at math but putting two and two together isn't that hard. We found her perfectly happy just playing with her toys by herself. She lit up like a damn Christmas tree when we got there."

"Because she knows you," Shelby said rolling her eyes.

"Then tell me why I couldn't get her in the chair? Tell me why when I did she threw herself at me until I let her out.".

"Babies are smarter than you think. They can smell tension for miles," Quinn mumbled.

"Don't treat me like a brainless fool," she snapped.

"Then you should see these things! Instead it seems you just ignore them hoping they'll go away. Is that how you look at Beth? Something that stopped being fun and someone who's just going to disappear if you ignore her for long enough? She's not Rachel. You're supposed to be it. You promised us you could do it. Now I'm starting to see that I should have done a little bit more research..."

"I'm perfectly capable! You just came in on a bad day. She has a lot of those. But we have great days too. Feel free to come back in three or four days, she'll be a completely different person."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Puck muttered. "She's a Puckerman _and_ a Fabray. We don't scare easy. That tells me that this isn't the first time this shit has happened."

"You say this like you expect me to pack up her things and hand her back to you. That's not how this works."

"You think we're stupid? We know there are hoops and I will light them and clear every single one if it means making sure that my little girl grows up happy and healthy. I don't doubt you go the healthy part down. I just haven't seen happy," he shrugged.

"This isn't your call," Quinn said evenly. "You're giving us a lot of room to reconsider. You're disregarding Puck when he's making perfectly valid points. These are papers. They can be torn up and re-signed in our favor if you push us that far."

"You're being here is only confusing her more," she defended.

"She's a year old," Puck said rolling his eyes. "Of course she's going to be confused. Time will teach her that she's got three parents who love her."

"You're just teenagers. You both have so many dreams to fulfill before you have children," she sighed.

"A little late for that, don't you think?" Quinn laughed.

"Well yes, but that's not what I meant."

"I didn't want to do this," Puck reminded her. "I let Quinn decide and in the end, you got her. The least you could do is treat her with the decency she deserves. I mean, after all, she gave you my kid."

"And I thank her for doing so. I know from experience how tough a decision it is to make. You have to consider more than just you. It's the baby as well." Puck sighed impatiently, already at his wit's end.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Quinn asked with a raise of her brow. Shelby lets out an exasperated sigh. The blonde has to fight the laugh that bubbles to her lips at how mature she's being at the moment.

"You honestly don't realize how much your actions affect other people, do you?" Shelby raises a curious glance in Puck's direction and crosses her arms defensively. "Let's look at Rachel for a minute. All she wanted was to know who you were and all you did was spit in her face." Quinn opens her mouth to warn him about language but stops herself when she sees the determined look on his face. "Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to walk up to a complete stranger and introduce yourself as their kid? It scares the shit out of you. You spend your entire life not knowing who the hell they are and then out of nowhere, there they are. That one piece of your life that makes everything make sense. And all you want is for it to mean something, to make something of the situation you're in. All she wanted was to get to know you as a person. You didn't have to step in and be her mother; she's got two fathers who love her just fine."

"I didn't want to confuse her. I've told her this already," Shelby whispered.

"Bull," he muttered.

"Puck!" Quinn hisses.

"You just didn't wanna try. You were too happy with the life you had. Rachel would have just been an inconvenience for you. You really should've thought of that before you spread your legs for some pimp." He knows the last part isn't true but the blanch he gets from her is enough to leave him satisfied.

"Noah!" she growls. He sees her stiffen and does nothing to hide the smirk that's come across his face. Seconds later he turns to Quinn, his expression that of a lost puppy when he meets her gaze. He knows he may have taken it just a little too far but at this point, he really doesn't care.

"You have no idea what happened so before you go accusing, shut your damn mouth!" Shelby snarled.

"It really doesn't matter what happened. Whether you were a surrogate or her legit mother doesn't excuse your actions as a human being. I've come in here every single week and seen how you are with Beth. You treat her like she's in some bubble. She can't do this, she can't eat that. For Christ's sake Shelby, she's a kid. She's not even two! You gotta let a kid be a kid for as long as they are or else they're gonna grow up trying to claim a part of themselves that they never got. I like Rachel, don't get me wrong but it's like she's stuck between growing up and trying to get back a lost childhood or something."

"She's a teenager, Puck. She'll grow up."

"Hasn't she already done that? What'd you do, give her dads some guide on the perfect Broadway prodigy? Because everybody sees that's all she wants in life. To be a star, to live up to your legacy. Tell me, Shelby. Why do you think she pushes so hard to get there? Why do you think that's all she ever thinks about?" The older woman can only stare at him. "She wants that one thing, that one connection that's going to bring her life full circle and shit. If stardom's the only way to do it, then she's going to do it."

"I…"

"Yeah, you didn't know or care."

"I did care, I still do! I sang with her that day."

"What, one song? You think one song's gonna make up for sixteen years of not being there? I mean, I know most of it wasn't up to you but when she came to you wanting to make you more than just a stranger, you brushed her off. I'll be damned if you do the same to my daughter,"

"What? Beth? I would never…"

"You're doing a pretty good job of proving him right, Shelby," Quinn said carefully.

"Time changes things," she defended.

"Prove it," Puck muttered. "She's in there somewhere," he said setting his phone on the kitchen table. "Find her and call her."

"And why would I do that?"

"What day is it today?"

"Saturday?" she said obviously.

"What kind of Saturday?" he asked slowly. If he didn't know any better, Puck could have sworn he was speaking to a small child as opposed to the adult that stood in front of him. He took a second to see that Beth had now fallen asleep, though how she's done it with all the yelling, he really isn't sure. He nods to Quinn as well as to a sleeping Beth. Understanding his silent communication, she quietly walks over to stand in front of him. She stands frozen for a minute, not exactly sure if taking her is the greatest idea. "You're fine, she sleeps like I do. I would do it myself but I'm not quite done yet," he whispers.

"I heard that," Shelby grumbled. "And you're not taking her anywhere."

"Watch me," Quinn growled. Careful not to let her stir as she took her from him, Quinn brings her to her shoulder, whispering softly to her as she notices the change of hands. "Shh Beth, you're okay. Go back to sleep, baby," she says calmly, running a hand along her back.

"Da…" she whimpered. It takes Quinn a minute to make sure she's heard correctly. The solid look of disapproval from Shelby tells her she has. She and Puck share a look of surprise before she sees the familiar smirk on his face.

"Just like her mama," he smirked to himself. He keeps quiet the fact that she's managed her first two words in one day, not wanting to into great detail as to why "mama" has nothing to do with Shelby.

"He's right there, sweetheart," she whispered. He makes sure he's looking directly at her while he drops a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," he whispers, his lips pressed to her forehead.

"Are we ready for our nap now?" Her response is willingly dropping her head back onto Quinn's shoulder at which point she makes a quick exit. Once she's up the stairs and out of earshot, Shelby spins in Puck's direction.

"What the hell?" she shouted. "This is _my_ house. I make the rules!"

"And that's my kid," he shot back.

"Not according to the adoption papers. Once those were signed, all legal rights went to me. Me, not you. I can just as easily keep you from Beth all together."

"Do that and I can take her out of your hot little hands in two seconds flat," he growled.

"And what's the judge going to believe? A couple of teenage parents or an actual adult?"

"We've got enough evidence to take her from you right now. Quinn doesn't know _half_ of what I've seen in the past year. You tempt me to bring those up and it's bye bye Beth."

"This is ridiculous!"

"What's ridiculous? You're attitude? 'Cause if we're looking at just that, you're digging your own little hole."

"Why are we fighting? We all know that Beth's home is here, with me."

"I wouldn't hold your breath. Wait long enough and you could pass out or something. Call your daughter," he demanded.

"And say what? I honestly have nothing to say to her. I don't even know her."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Well it sure isn't mine. They wanted a surrogate, they got a surrogate."

"Refer back to my first half of this argument. She's trying, Shelby. Even if she has to do it on her own, she's trying. The least you can do is reach out." Rolling her eyes with a heavy sigh, she scrolls down and presses the "send" button angrily.

"Why am I doing this again?"

"'Cause it's my birthday," he smirked. "The one day I get everything I want. I've got just about everything. Just have one more thing to check off. You're welcome, by the way."

"What the hell for?"

"You're a little late on Mother's Day. Berry never got her phone call."

* * *

 **A/N: Just a reminder that this is written pre season 3 so there may be minor changes to Beth's appearance that come out. I know this was crazy long but I just didn't have the heart to break it up.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another loooooong one. Hahaha. Hope you like :)**

 **Disclaimer: *See Chapter 1***

* * *

Shelby simply rolls her eyes as she waits impatiently for someone to pick up on the other end of the phone. With each passing moment, she grows more and more frustrated. She's quietly hoping her estranged daughter doesn't pick up at all. That would save her what was likely to be the most awkward conversation the two of them would be forced to have. Noticing Puck shuffling away, she grabs his wrist with a steady glare. He in turn shakes her free with a scowl. He has to wonder if Shelby is even aware that she can be so ridiculously demanding.

"What?" he hisses.

"You're the one making me do this," she whispers hotly. "The least you can do is stay and see what happens." Puck just rolls his eyes. The lady can't even make a damn phone call by herself. It doesn't escape him that he practically made her but the fact that Berry had those stupidly sad eyes the following Monday that still burned somewhere in his skull could only be blamed on one person. Sure, she hadn't been raised by Shelby but there was still something about her worth the praise in her eyes. He again wonders if she's ever displayed behaviour like the kind they saw minutes go around anybody else. Part of him knows it hardly matters. To Rachel, the woman can do no wrong. And when she does, the brunette has no problem over-looking it. Anything and everything she's done is blinded by some kind of hero worship.

"She doesn't bite," he mumbles. The girl annoys him and Quinn every single chance she gets but she could never come toe to toe with Santana. For just a minute, he wishes she did. It would make this phone call unnecessary. But the truth is, Rachel's too soft-hearted not to be bothered by the silence. She doesn't say as much but the girl's face can't spare a lie if it kills her.

"Do you have any idea how awkward this is?" she whispers. He nodded, personally satisfied with how uncomfortable the situation was making her. He hasn't done this to get back at her. He's been doing that all morning already. Puck would never admit it but for some reason he feels he owed it to Rachel. Not that she has ever done anything for him recently. It's was more like a favour that sprouts from similar experience.

"It's only awkward if you make it awkward," he points out. He's starting to regret making the request. By the time she picks up, even Rachel will be able to tell she wants none of it. "People usually say something when the other person picks up. Sitting in silence just makes it creepy."

"What am I supposed to say?" she asks desperately. Puck scoffs. How the hell would he know? Unless somebody's dying, the two of them usually text. Conversation lasts longer that way. Anyone who isn't Finn can only handle her in small doses. Considering how different they are (besides the whole being a Jew thing), he can only listen to her for about ten minutes before finding an excuse to hang up. There are times he hates himself for being that shallow but some people just have that kind of voice. If he already didn't feel like such an ass for it, the fact that she doesn't seem hurt by it does the trick. He's learned that Berry's taken Broadway way too seriously, hiding her pain like a true professional. He makes a vow to be at least slightly more decent to her from here on out. Having Shelby as the woman to bring her into this fucked up world was torture enough.

"You might wanna start with something like 'Hey Rachel' and go on from there." Now it's Shelby's turn to roll her eyes at how obvious an answer he gets. "You do this at work all the time. What's the difference?" She throws him another glare for good measure when she hears shuffling on the other end.

"Noah," he hears her answer questioningly. Not that Shelby's offering him the phone. The brunette's voice just seems to carry. The volume of which makes him cringe a little. The woman throws him another look at how she's greeted who she believes to be Puck. Almost as if to say, "I thought you hated the name." He just shrugs. In all honesty, he's learned to just let her call him by his first name. She's too formal for anything else. Knowing Rachel "Puck" probably sounds too inappropriate for her to say. "Hello?"

"Hi Rachel, it's Shelby." As soon as she says as much, she wants to hang up. The two had virtually nothing in common. She's called her weekly since Mother's Day and she still hasn't mustered the courage to return it. Now that it's been practically thrust upon her, the box around her feels so much smaller.

"Oh hi Shelby…" she replies slowly. After weeks of trying the teen just gave up. She had begun to see it as stalking once they hit the end of June. Now almost two weeks into July, she'd given up hope of ever getting anything back. Give the randomness of the call she really has nothing else to say. Her constant jabber is stuck in her throat, well trained vocal cords afraid to voice anything else. "May I ask why you're calling?" she asked trying to hide the obvious hint of excitement in her tone.

"Well….Actually, I finally have a minute to return that call," she says lamely. From where he sits he knows even Berry doesn't buy it. Shelby can hear the girl trying to find words at the other end of the line. When she figures nothing will come of them, she once again fills the silence. "I was…ummm thinking you might want to…" She throws a desperate gaze in Puck's direction, hoping for some kind of guidance on ways to give this conversation some kind of flow. He just nods a silent indication for her to keep going. How should he know how to keep it going? The two never talked. To be completely honest, he didn't talk to anyone who didn't live with him or give him a child for more than ten minutes at a time.

Despite the divide Beth's existence put between them, he and Finn were finally able to set it aside and get back to who they were. When they were alone, he sometimes even asked him how Beth was. Even though what they talk about isn't as detailed, it's nice to see that he still cares. She scowls, somewhat frustrated that he's just letting this call continue without any input.

"I was thinking that, if you wanted to…we could…do something today." After she's finally pulled out the rest of her sentence, the stare she gives him says how painfully awkward the situation is. Like he didn't already notice that. Shelby's the one who decided to make it more painful for herself. If she just got back to Berry within the week, he wouldn't have to do this. Nobody was expecting them to spend weekends together and shit.

"We?" she asks curiously. The fact that her voice peals so clearly through the phone allows Puck to gage both sides of the conversation.

"Yeah. I think I remember you mentioning something about voice lessons when we last met."

"But you said…" The fact that she's even remembered with so much on her plate is another surprise for the high schooler. Honestly, the fact that they're even having this conversation is an even bigger one. She has both of their numbers in her phone. Knowing that she's using Noah's phone to get in touch with her makes her wonder but not for very long.

"I know what I said," she replies quickly. Puck eyes her carefully, silent hand motions indicating that she might want to tone it down a little. He knows how useless a tip this is but does it anyway. She just sighs with a roll of her eyes, obviously believing that she hasn't done anything wrong. And maybe she hasn't but he's learned how quickly things can change. "Listen, I know that I haven't really been an active role in your life and honestly, I don't know how comfortable you would be with any of that. Maybe we could…get to know each other a little." Next to her, Puck groans. Getting her to say anything at all is like pulling teeth. It's obvious she doesn't want any of it. Maybe he shouldn't have encouraged this at all. Seeing as they're already talking, he just sits back in his chair, waiting for the possible train wreck to come.

"Really?" she asks excitedly. Puck can hear how desperate she sounds and can't help feeling a little sorry for the girl. Not much though, but a little. "Well I mean, you said no the first time so I can only imagine…"

"No, no," she says shaking her head. "I figure that with everything you've tried, all the messages you've been leaving, the least I can do is try and get to know you as well. I think that voice lessons are a good start. We both understand it enough that the situation won't be too awkward."

"That would be wonderful. I've actually been working on a Barbra piece and can't seem to reach too far into my register to sing it well enough."

"I'll give you directions to my private studio and we'll see what we can do." Puck finds himself cringing again at the high pitched squeal heard on Rachel's end of the line. Shelby just grimaces in disgust as she pulls the phone a few inches away from her. She's somewhat grateful that the next thing she hears is the dial tone. Awkward goodbye turned crisis averted. As for Puck, he can't believe how easily Rachel's accepted the situation. He decides that it's either she's star struck or incredibly naïve about the gravity of the situation, reminding him yet again, how child-like she is.

"See, that wasn't so hard," he said. Shelby simply throws his phone back to him as she hurries to collect her things. The woman's a whirlwind while she gathers her purse and keys. If he wasn't already having such a good day, he might let it irritate him. Once so reluctant to spit out a few words to her daughter, she's now dying to leave. He knows it has nothing to do with Rachel herself but more so the freedom the studio gives her. For just a few minutes, she doesn't have to think consciously about being a parent.

"Now, I just have to figure what I'm going to do with Beth for the afternoon…" He's almost insulted by the way that sounds, like she doesn't have two viable options right under her own roof.

"Quinn and I can watch her," he suggests. Her shoulders go rigid as she just shakes her head. What? It's not like he hasn't fucking done it before. But then he remembers. In her head they're still a couple of irresponsible teenagers who apparently can't look past their own noses. He's lived his entire life around people who can't look past his image but she has a way of angering him. Shelby made those same generalizations about Quinn just because of how Beth came to be.

"No, I'm sure you have your mothers to get back to." The last thing she needs is a couple of teenagers watching a one year old.

"Mine already knows I'm here. I told her I'd be here for the day and we'd do something like dinner tonight or whatever." He wants to laugh because Ava could care less about where he is right now. She's too busy on a nursing shift to even give him his birthday present yet. Honestly, she could get it to him whenever. It's not like she forgot. No matter what her initial thoughts were on the two of them having a baby, she knows this is where he wants to be. The scary part was that he didn't even really have to tell her. "She wants me to be sure she knows her nana says hi." That was literally all the instruction he got while he watched his mom leave for work the night before. The scowl the older woman gives him while she listens just broadens his smirk. "I thought you were cool with me coming here to see her," he mumbles.

"I am," she nods. And no matter what he might see, she really is. It's good that Beth is exposed to both. The fact that it's her father who's so willing to play the role makes life that much easier. She doesn't even have that much of a problem concerning Quinn. Most of her sharp tongue comes from lack of sleep and stress. Even though she expected as much, the fact that she's hardly an agreeable child doesn't make for an easy task. "It's just a lot of pressure," she admitted. "Doing this by myself."

"Then let us help you out. That's why we're here. I know it sounds like we might wanna take over but that's not it. The reason the baby's staying here is because we know what it's like to be raised by people who don't care. Our dads always looked right past us. Her mom's in her own little world all the time. We wanted to try. We wanted to try so fucking bad. But there's too much going on. We have school and...I'm trying to find a better job. I...I wanna be able to give my kid something, okay? It won't be much for a while. But I'm doing better in school. I try harder. I'm not my old man. I don't just have a kid and forget she's alive. It kills her. This shit keeps her up into the late hours...Knowing that what she did and the situation we're in means that she has to walk away. She's right. I'm lucky enough that I don't have to. But...Giving up that little girl is the hardest thing she's ever done. She's always telling me she doesn't deserve to remember, that she was too selfish and just...let go. But I think it makes her brave. Doing what she did makes her stronger than she knows. Quinn has to live with those memories. She has to live through birthdays and holidays. But none of that hurts more than Mother's Day. Because she is and she isn't."

"Puck..."

"Just lemme finish," he says throwing her his palm. Shelby tries to hide the surprise at his gesture as best she can; now sitting on the step at the front door. "I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time. I'm pretty sure the last time I saw anything like that is the day she was born. The day we got to hold her, it was like all the secrets, all the lies were worth it. If B was born happy and healthy, nothing else mattered. And it didn't. When I've got her in my lap, when she's my hand in her mouth, I know I did a good thing. Beth is the only thing we couldn't screw up, even if we tried. That sweet little girl is nothing but perfect. She makes her mama smile in ways that I've trying to for years. She keeps saying she doesn't know the first thing about being a mother...You clearly have no problem saying that...But I think she does. I _know_ she does. She just has to believe it too. And right now she doesn't. Why would she? We're kids who got a little too excited. I know that's what most people are never going to let go of."

Shelby frowned, realization coming at her like a punch in the stomach. Fighting the knot in her throat, she bit her lip, tears teasing the corner of her eyes. She wasn't talking to her at all.

"It wasn't for me," she whispered. Puck silently shakes his head. "I don't...I don't understand..."

"Unfortunately, we talk when we want," he shrugs. "That's what happens when a genius and a dumby make a baby. Sometimes it'll come pouring out, making you wonder if you're raising a prodigy. Other times, she takes from me. Mama says I didn't talk till I was about three. I still hate doing it. Talking. But I'm getting better. Quinn makes it easy. She likes to do most of the talking. And I just kind of let her. Because I know that she's living in a place where she has to hide everything. For the first couple of weeks I tried to get her to move back in with me. She told me she couldn't, that her mom was moving back in and they were going to try and rebuild. It's not working and even she knows it. But that's her mother. The lady makes me wanna strangle her most of the time but, when you dig deep enough, that's who she is. She's hard as hell to love but once you've done all the heavy-lifting, it's the easiest thing in the world."

Puck can see Shelby's eyes glazed over with emotion, the sight of it just making him shake his head. The older woman just shakes her own head. How she's earned a talk like this from a boy who hardly seems to open his mouth with anything decent to say, she hasn't the slightest clue. But here he is pouring his heart out to her. She doesn't know how she's never seen it before. Now that it's written all over his face she feels as clueless as they accused her of being earlier.

"You're in love with her," she observed quietly. He wants to laugh at her now. Apparently he's left it all out in the open for her to see. Why he even bothers letting her know all of this is beyond him. Maybe it's because Quinn and Beth are his two favourite subjects. Talking about them is as easy as breathing. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that he's busting his ass to make a point, to shut her up. Maybe hearing some of this will stop the judgment and accusatory looks. There's also the chance that it will do absolutely nothing but it's already been said. He can't exactly swallow it back up.

"You would be too," he said softly. "If you could just let her have a few hours...It would mean so much to her. She'll never actually say it. She's not too good at 'thank you' but I don't think either of us is. That doesn't mean we're not."

"And what about Quinn?" Despite what she's heard, she can't help feeling that her name tastes bitter in her mouth. Puck can feel his heart in his throat at the very idea of any form of reciprocation. He's come to terms with the fact that anything close is ever going to come. "I'm sure her mother is curious." Mention of Judy sobers him up considerably. He wants to tell her that Judy probably hasn't even noticed that Quinn stepped out of the house this morning; her day most likely spent finding the bottom of a bottle of wine. Puck keeps that much to himself, refusing to share that kind of information with a person like Shelby. Not that she would care too much. He just shouldn't make a point of sharing _anything_ with her, actually.

"She knows," he easily lied, knowing that if she actually _did_ know, she probably wouldn't care.

"I still don't trust the two of you alone with her…" she trailed. _And how do you think I feel?_ he thought. At this point, he couldn't find it in himself to trust Shelby too much, if at all. The only thing really stopping him from taking his daughter was the threat of probation from his bank heist last year. Not that he actually saw anything wrong. Beth's body language as well as Shelby's told him all he needed to know with no physical proof.

"You don't trust me with my own daughter?" he laughs.

"Well, it's not like you've had experience with children." _Like you have any_ he thought scoffing to himself.

"I've got a whole lot more than you," he pointed out, not trying at all to hide his superiority over her. Like earlier, he really doesn't care too much about how it affects her. It's not like she takes anyone else's thoughts and feelings under consideration.

"Really?" she laughed crossing her

"Yup. I've got an eight year old sister. Mom works late nights and stuff. I've had years of experience with kids."

"Whatever," she mutters. Puck knows now that their five seconds at an attempt to bond have been long forgotten. "I hope you don't plan to take her out," she grumbles. "I gave her a bath this morning and I'd hate to do it again when I get back."

"I don't see why we can't give her one if we do decide to take her out." She just raises a curious brow at him and fumbles for her keys.

"You know, I'm starting to think that maybe I should just take her with me. Who knows what the two of you could do to her in one afternoon. _Show her the real world_ he thought.

"No. I want Quinn to enjoy herself for once. I don't need you putting a bitchy kink in it just because it might mean taking _my_ kid out of your perfectly constructed cage."

"I'm not caging her, Puck. It's called keeping her safe. That's what parents usually do with their kids." He rolls his eyes already shooing her out the door.

"Go put your sob story into music." Shelby simply scowls, a finely painted nail digging into her palm. 'We'll be fine for an afternoon." Knowing Berry, she's been sitting there waiting for well over an hour. He really doesn't need to be the reason she's been stood up. "Get some bonding on. You can thank me later." Even if Shelby never did, he knew that Berry would never stop thanking somebody for an afternoon at the studio with her idol.

"Just have her home by six," she mutters. "I should be home from the studio by then and I'll take her off your hands so the two of you can go on home." It's more than obvious that the two of them aren't friends, the argument in the kitchen doing a great job of furthering the gap of civility. The fact that she's so ready to have them leave makes him angrier than he realizes. Sure, she's raising Beth but the right to see Beth is just as much his as it is Shelby's to be her mother.

"I'll have her home when I have her home," he snaps. She glares at him, her gaze daring him to defy her perfectly drawn out guidelines. He laughs to himself. She's acting as if he should be afraid to not do as he's told. Far from it. He even contemplates letting her know that he isn't a child anymore, that he doesn't need an adult to tell him what he should and shouldn't do. But that would just spark another argument. An argument that would quickly wake Beth who he's sure is already asleep. "It'll be before dark," he promised. _Maybe_.

"If you need anything, there's a list of emergency contacts on the fridge," she sighed. Puck resists the urge to roll his eyes. The list she's referring to he remembers is about three pages long with the name and number of every medical professional in what he likes to think is all of Lima.

"I think we'll be okay. If she needs to be rushed to the hospital, I think I know the number and address." He watches her mouth gape open in shock and risks laughing out loud this time. The fear in her eyes leaves him with a twisted satisfaction. Not that he'd purposefully land Beth in the hospital. Puck knows he'd go into a full-fledged panic attack or raging anger if he got news of that. Something in him twists in anger but he bites back a verbal reply. To be honest, the fact that Shelby doesn't seem to trust him as far as she can throw him makes him feel less of a man. Not that he should allow her that kind of power over him. He should be used to it by now. No one ever makes a point of trusting him. He's fucked up too much to really deserve it from anyone.

"Maybe the three of you should stay inside…" she trails. Puck just scoffs. "If you really want to go out, there's always the yard. He groans remember that Shelby's "yard" is only then feet of grass and pavement with a white picket fence.

"It's really up to them, don't you think?" Shelby just sighs, her hand still on the door knob. Puck silently wonders if impressions have started to form in her palm considering how much of a grip she's got on the handle. She's tense and Puck realizes that he might not be helping the situation, but quickly decides he doesn't care. He'll be spending the afternoon with his daughter, his family, and she doesn't exactly trust him. Not that he feels he has to prove himself to Shelby. The only one he'd work his ass off for is Quinn and right now would give him a prime opportunity to do that. "I think Rachel's waiting for you. I'd hate for me to be the reason you didn't show up." She gives him one last scowl before perfect heels hit the wooden porch. "Took her long enough," he growls as he closes the door behind her.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he opens the nursery wide enough to let himself inside. He chuckles quietly to himself when he sees that Quinn has fallen asleep in the rocking chair set off to the side with Beth asleep in her arms. Gently, he shakes her awake, greeted with a familiar pout. He hates to do it but she really doesn't look comfortable. It takes her a minute to become familiar with her surroundings, but the minute she does, a glare is shot in Puck's direction.

"You might wanna try the couch or the floor if you're seriously thinking about falling asleep," he whispered. She nodded readjusting herself while at the same time trying to keep Beth in her deep sleep. "She give you any trouble?" he asked. Quinn shook her head as a small smile played on her lips.

"She's actually been out for a while. I've tried putting her down a few times but she's not having it," she said with a raised brow. "Every time I try she just gets fussy and if I'm not fast enough, starts screaming. I don't know why….It's not like I was planning to leave the room. Not after...that." Puck nods, already familiar with her bodily contact obsession. Over time, it's made him wonder just how much Shelby's parenting is affecting her.

"She does the same to me. I should've told you to get comfortable. She'll be like that for a while."

"It's almost like she's afraid to be left alone," she whispers. "After all that hovering you would think...But she doesn't move." Letting the words fall out of her mouth makes Quinn wonder if Shelby's ever just tried holding her through the night. The thought itself is freakishly ironic. She seems to be the kind to keep her closer than she wanted to be. And here was Beth, frantic as ever to make sure she wasn't put down and walked away from. He shakes his head in agreement, running his knuckle along her cheek. Beth only stirs for a second before letting out a gentle sigh as she continues to sleep. "Not that she should be….I'm sure Shelby spends a lot of…Maybe a little too much..."

"I don't know," he mumbled. "I don't know what happens when I leave. And I'm afraid to find out…" That's the part he can't let go of. He comes and goes every Friday night, never knowing if by next week Beth would be better or worse.

"Da..." she moaned. Quietly bringing her to his shoulder, the young father smiles while she traces lazily along the length of his neck while she sleeps.

"Yeah baby girl, it's me." Just a foot away, Quinn smiles. The last time she saw any of this he was talking to her belly late at night. "So...What should we do for the rest of my big day?"

"I'm pretty sure now that she's got a clean diaper and some sleep, she feels like she can take on the world." Looking up at her, it takes him a minute to realize that the pink dress is gone. In its place is a pale green dress. He doesn't even mind that Quinn's put a bow on top of her head. Insignificant as it is, the fact that she's no longer in pink puts him at ease.

"Naps always help. Mama doesn't quite get it though. We're going to have to teach her how awesome they are." He readily ignores the blonde when her eyes roll.

"I never said they were bad. He just takes them all the time. Especially when he's not supposed to," she glares. Puck just shrugs.

"We'll show her," he nods. Quinn has to stop her own train of thought from taking over completely. Did he really just say that in a way that implied she'd be back here? As good as all of it sounded, she knew this was a one-time thing. It had to be. After everything she and Shelby had "discussed", she was shocked she hadn't just been kicked out.

"I'm sure Shelby does a wonderful job with her," she mumbles. Even if she's been shown otherwise, she has to say it. She has to be able to walk away from this at the end of the day. Anything less than that and she'd end up in a bigger hole than the one he was always trying to pull her out of. "She doesn't get instructions...She's raising a Puckerman. You really think that's supposed to be easy?" she teased.

He just sighs quietly, wrapping his lip around a hand she's trying to shove in his mouth. Even while she tries to pull it free, Beth giggles uncontrollably. The sound brings a fresh smile to Quinn's mouth while she adjusts the hem of her dress.

"You're a happy girl. Of course now that Daddy's here that's not surprising." For just a minute, she lets herself think about it. Really think about it. If this had gone the other way, there was no question she would have to lay down the rules. More than being a grown man, his childish attitude had no bounds. Not that it was the worst thing for anybody yet. Beth still thought the world was her playground. Or whatever it was that Shelby insisted on keeping her in. "You know she can get you to do just about anything, right? She got you wrapped so tight I'm surprised she can still feel her fingers." She'd been here less than a day and their bond was practically screaming at her. Watching them, she can't help the guilt while she lets it crawl back in. For a boy who cared about nothing more than sleeping and videogames, today she'd seen everything she tried so hard not to a year before.

"It's not like she wants much," he shrugged. No, she really didn't. She wonders if she's like him in that way. Even though class meant nothing anymore (at least between the two of them) there were still startling differences to consider. Quinn came from money. As a little girl she couldn't help loving the idea. Now that she was a lot older, she saw what it really did to people, her own people. Now just thinking about her expansive home made her sick. With just her mother living in it with her, there was hardly any need for it. As many times as she's tried bringing it up, halfway through any speech, she realizes there's no point. As a family, they have an image to uphold, no matter how much a disaster life really is behind closed doors.

The Puckermans lived in a tiny little condo, just big enough for the three of them. How she and Beth ever fit in there comfortably, she doesn't quite know. It takes her only a minute to conclude that the house is fine, the problem is her. She's always been so used to having too much room. She knew better than to bring it up while she was living with them. She would just come across as ungrateful, not that such a front was unfamiliar to her. But she couldn't do it to them. Especially them. Not after how well she was treated during her stay. Understandably Ava wasn't all too excited for them, but as the date approached, all three Puckermans made her reconsider. It all amounted to nothing in the end but she and Puck had a roof over their heads. His mother had even been kind enough to give them no grief about the fact that they stayed in his room. That seemed to be Becca's job, asking them periodically if they were going to get married now that they were having a baby. They both denied any of it without needing to consult the other. They were both too young to be thinking about any of that, period. No matter if they were having a child together or not. But to her, the logic made all the sense in the world. To do so was expected. To be married with a child was necessary.

"She's pretty smart, you know..." she barely mumbles. Puck redirects his focus as Beth finds her favourite place along his chest.

"Of course she is," he smiles. "She's a Fabray." Even though he knows that's not entirely what she means, he can't help hoping that she takes after her mother in that regard. He raises a brow while the blonde shakes her head.

"Your sister," she clarified. Well yeah, that was true too. Their mother was a nurse. His sister got pretty lucky in that way too. "Thinking we should've gotten married. It sounds so logical and simple..."

"She's eight..."

"Doesn't matter. She's right..." she mumbled. He knows better than to ask her if they should actually do something about it. He's learned quickly that she has to process every little thing at least eight times before it's even up for discussion of any kind. "We weren't ready. We-we..." Even before she can finish her thought, Puck gets an all too familiar sinking feeling.

"Quinn, look at me," he whispers. Slowly, the blonde raises her head, her eyes clouded with tears. "Look at her..." Even before she does, she feels her heart pick up at a ridiculous speed. She knows what he's doing, and as many times as he's been right, for once, he's got it wrong. These weren't tears of her usual regret. These were of a regret that filled her to the brim for entirely different reasons. Shelby and what she'd seen today. Puck and how he really was everything she refused to really watch for. She denied him a full year with their child because she was just too afraid. Of everything.

"I'm sorry," she whimpers. "Noah, I'm so sorry..." The second part comes in a whisper caught so far in her throat that she can barely keep from choking again. He wants to tell her she's got nothing to be sorry for, even though he knows why she is. He wants to reaffirm that this isn't her fault, that she was only doing what she thought would be right for Beth. But he also knows that when she spills over like this, it's best to just let her feel them. Instead, he gently places Beth in her mother's lap, bringing her shaking arms around her tiny body. The grip she has on her is nothing he's ever seen before. She didn't even need to grip him that tightly in the first two weeks. "She hurts my baby," she whispers, the words caught behind a familiar knot in her throat. Neither of them knows that for sure but he lets her say it. Because she has to. Because in some way it would make today's mess all come together. Pulling a piece of hair behind her ear, he softly presses a kiss to her forehead, the gesture a final straw in a complete breakdown. "I...I tried," she struggles, her throat as thick as sandpaper.

"I know," he murmurs. "Everybody tried." She nods, even though she knows he's not entirely right. Of all of them, she tried the least. All this time she's been telling herself that she did her best, that she'd done all she could do. But the truth was, Quinn had done nothing. She'd done nothing because it was easier. She'd let her go almost without thought because she couldn't even imagine being a decent enough mother. "You wanna come downstairs with me?" The question turns her ghostly white, her grip on Beth making the baby squeak in surprise. "She can come too," he mumbles. Truthfully, it would probably give them less of an issue if she did. "You want me to take her so you can get up and stretch?" Even though it takes her a minute, she reluctantly nods.

Quinn lets him take her as she rises to pop her cramping muscles. She smiles when she sees that Beth has started to nuzzle him almost immediately. She can feel her heart accelerating at the genuine smile coming across his face. "She knows you so well already," she admires softly. Even now she can tell she sounds nothing like herself. "She probably even adjusts herself for you in her sleep," she says. Puck knows she's trying to keep talking, hoping to pull herself out of whatever trance she's in. Unfortunately, it's not the first time she's been like this around him. Puck looks at her for a second as he brushes the baby's cheek again. As he does, he can't help noticing how nicely the blue brings out her eyes. She hasn't tried to look nice or too dressy. Yet, he can't help staring into them for a few seconds longer than he should, even though he knows she doesn't see him. "Daddy never did..." Instead of nodding like he's sure is expected of him, he stays quiet and lets her keep talking. "I was the bad one...Always bad. I did stuff I wasn't supposed to all the time...He's said I was never gonna find a boy who loved me if I didn't listen..."

"He's not always right..." he mumbles. As much as he already despises Russell Fabray, hearing her talk like this only intensifies the feeling. It's when she shakes her head so quickly that Puck can feel his heart breaking. "He doesn't like me, does he?" Watching her nod, he sits her down carefully on couch and lets her keep going.

"He doesn't know..." she whispers. "He doesn't know that you're good. He doesn't see that you take care of me. He doesn't know that you're a good daddy," she added, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's not gonna believe me if I tell. He doesn't like that you're better than him..." Even though he knows she's stepped outside of herself, the last comment makes him wonder if this played into her final decision. Was the guy so determined to be the best thing in his daughter's life that anyone who might be more than that was seen as a threat? Given their last year of phone calls, it would make sense.

"You wanna take her?" he asks. He's not even sure why he wastes his breath. Quinn's been eyeing her since they got to the couch. Again he helps her wrap her arms tightly around Beth, the baby more than happy to settle into her mother's arms. "There we go. That's better." Quinn's almost arched over her completely; the most protective he's ever seen her. If she's putting pressure on her, Beth hasn't said anything.

"My baby..." He nods in agreement, brushing his lips across her hair. "I made a mistake...A big mistake..."

"Shh..." he whispered. "Quinn, I need you to look at me," he mumbled gently. The last thing they needed was to have her be withdrawn when Shelby showed up again. That would put their entire argument in the toilet. Turning to face him, she stares right at him. Brushing his mouth softly against hers, he pulls back and waits. A full three minutes of excessive blinking pass before she looks to have thrown herself back together.

"Wha...What just happened?" she asked. One minute she was talking about his sister and the next they were in Shelby's living room. He can feel himself studying her carefully again, her gaze more focused than it was before. The only indication that he's over-stayed his welcome is a light blush to her cheeks. Almost instantly, his eyes shift to Beth who's still perfectly content mumbling to herself while she twists the multiple rings on Quinn's fingers.

"Sorry," he mutters. A light smile tells him he's forgiven after she's ducks briefly as a way of recovering. "So...I finally convinced Shelby to call Berry." The sudden change in conversation feels off to him considering what they were just talking about but he goes with it. She never seemed to have proper memory of her short withdrawals.

"Why?" she asks curiously. It's not like Puck to pay Rachel any favors. In fact, it's not like either of them to take her side. Yet somehow, Quinn found herself defending the girl earlier. Why, she still wasn't entirely sure. Maybe it was a heat of the moment thing or the way Shelby's behavior reminded her so much of Judy's. Either way, they both ended up taking the heat for Rachel. She guessed it had something to do with being crammed in a small room with a group of people you were forced to get along with. Or maybe Mr. Schue had a point. Maybe it's just what glee club did to people. They were all a group of ostracized kids just looking for someone to see past their reputations. As much as she hated to admit it, Rachel was one of those kids. One of them.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I guess I just wanted to show Shelby that she doesn't just have Beth. She's got Berry too, no matter how weird their relationship is. She's had this kicked puppy look going on for the last month and a half. I really just got sick of it. She needs to start acting like a mother. If she's still in the dark about the baby, they might as well start with something they both know. It might mean she'll start looking more like her old hobbit-self," he mumbles.

"Where'd you send them?" For the tenth time today, Quinn's left to wonder why all these details are supposed to matter. They were finally alone with Beth. Shelby wasn't around to burn holes in the back of their heads. Even though she knew it was temporary, she wasn't about to not take it.

"They're going to her private studio or something. I think she said something about voice lessons. I swear Berry's life is nothing but music. Makes me wonder if she ever does anything else." Even if she's inclined to ask the same question, Quinn quietly shrugs.

"I'm sure she does. You'd be surprised how much your passion tends to leak into everything you do. Sure she over-does it a little—"

"A little?" he laughed. "She suggested going over new stuff over summer last year. _Summer_." Thankfully that fell through when Mr. Schue reminded Rachel that even they were allowed to go have a life.

"Okay, a lot," she laughed. "But I envy her…" she admitted. How he does it, just pulls words from her guts and makes it so they fall right out of her mouth, she still doesn't know. But somehow she's here, voicing one of her greatest confessions. She's sure he'll laugh at her for it but it's true all the same.

"You envy Rachel? I'm sorry but, _how_?" Quinn just let out a heavy breath. As soon as she did Puck couldn't help feeling slightly guilty. He'd gone and triggered something, screwed up. Again.

"She's driven, she knows what she wants and she's working her tail off to get there. Me? I don't know what I want or what the heck I'm doing. I have no idea what happened but…this isn't me. I've always been so focused, so accomplished. I don't even know what I want anymore," she whispered.

"See, that's the thing about you Quinn. You're too structured. Everything has to go a certain way or everything's going to fall apart. Life isn't like that. Sometimes, you have to let the pieces fall on their own. Look at her," he smiled. She does as she's told trying hard to fight the smile that's come across her face. "Was it in your life plan to sleep with me?" Her eyes widen with a furious shake of her head. "Did you enjoy it for what it was?"

"Sleeping with you has made me a sinner," she whispers. Even though she's always known it, this is the first time she's said it to his face. How he's going to react to it, she doesn't know but she finds herself buried in his chest to hide from it. She doesn't stay there for long because his hands gently bring her up to face him. She's always so stunned by how warm he is that she still can't find anything to say, anything and everything she's been wanting to put out there forgotten while she rests in his hands.

"You really don't believe all of that, do you? That one night has sent you a one way ticket to Hell?" She nods despite how much it hurts. She's learned that sex before marriage is a Christian's most damaging sin. Tears begin to cloud her vision as she realizes how much a domino effect it's become on everything she held closest to her. Her religion, the love of her parents, her pride, and most painful yet, her daughter. In some respects, she even lost him, even though he's done nothing but sit and hold her.

"It's cost me everything…."

"Quinn, you have to draw a line," he sighed. "You have to balance your beliefs and a freedom to live your life. I still go to Temple every week. Dragged by my mom most of the time but I go. But I'm not a cardboard cutout. And neither are you. You've made mistakes but so has every person who's ever really lived. Do you regret it? Sure, sometimes you do. Sometimes you look back on things and wonder what your life would be like if you hadn't done that one thing. But then you get to look at this, look at her, and see the good that came of it."

"I don't think you get it," she whispered. "I've become a disgrace to my family, my entire community. No matter what you've done, good or bad, you're mom's always been there for you," she mumbles. "Mine's always so busy...And even when she's not, it's like she's looking at a stranger."

"Why'd you go home? If she's not being the support you need, why are you living there?" Even though he knows the answer, it still confuses him. "She still asks about you..." Quinn rolls her lip, trying to fight the tears tickling the corners of her eyes. For a woman who once looked at her like the girl who ruined her son's life...

"I just….wanted to give her a chance to prove herself. All she's ever done is drown in the closest bottle of booze," she says softly. "Dad's affair is killing her. Not just emotionally, but physically. I don't know if I can watch anymore…" Even though she knows she shouldn't, she let her mind wander to Ava. The woman bent over backwards to make her feel welcome. And she turned her back on that for...whatever Judy had going.

"Don't," he suggested softly. "If something hurts, you find a way to get rid of it."

"I'm not getting rid of my mom, Puck." As appealing as the idea often was, to abandon the woman who gave life to her screams all kinds of moral disgrace.

"No, but you get yourself out." As selfish as he knows it sounds, to try and comfort her over the phone over this woman isn't working anymore. He can do more if just...let herself see.

"And where am I gonna go?" she scoffs. "I'm not pregnant anymore. I have no reason to be a bother." The expression her words bring to his face is pained and one that makes Quinn's heart hammer. Even though he wants nothing more than to take her home, he pushes it back, leaning to something more logical.

"See if you can stay with someone in glee. Mercedes was more than willing to take you outta my house." As much as Beth and all of the tension she caused had been forgiven, part of him still couldn't forgive her for convincing Quinn to find somewhere else to live. No matter how reasonable she was being about it.

"She rescued me," she laughs, her attempt at humour cut short when she notices the far off look in his eyes. "Do you remember how awkward those few weeks were?" She has to say something to validate everything she's done, even if she knows it's not necessary. She was just good at excuses. If she stayed, her plans to put Beth up for adoption would have evaporated. He'd never say as much out loud but once Quinn left, he kind of missed her constant mood swings. Though having her around at first had been the awkward situation of the century and all they seemed to do was fight, once she was gone, it was too quiet, too calm. Not even bringing up pointless arguments with his sister seemed to help.

"Oh yeah, and I'm sure you did just fine without your private masseuse," he smirks.

"I did," she admits smiling brightly. "At least then I didn't bruise anymore." Quinn missed him for so much more than that but knew better than to bring it up. He would have just called her on her impulsive and stupid decision and drag her back over. And the worst part was, she wouldn't have fought him at all.

"Oh, come on! I didn't even press that hard. You had kinks in your back from here to Indiana. If I remember correctly, you fell asleep not too long after," he winked. "Puckasourous has magic hands. You can't deny it, babe." Quinn just rolls her eyes, forgetting for a minute what he'd just called her. "And then I had to haul your sorry ass up to bed." Again she finds herself blushing at the memory and at this point is more than glad to have long hair that hides her reaction. She suppresses a yawn and brushes her face tiredly. "See, even the thought is getting you sleepy."

"Puck, do me a favor and shut up," she mumbles throwing a decorative pillow at him. "I'm running on two hours of sleep. As damaging to your ego as this is, it's not the talk of your "magic hands". I'm actually legitimately tired." With a finger, he indicates a half circle, quietly asking Quinn to turn her back to him. She does so almost immediately, Beth resting on her own chest while he worked her tense muscles.

Almost as soon as he so much as brushes his fingers against her body, she shivers, biting back a near whimper. Behind her, Puck grimaces when he notices how tight her upper body was.

"What the hell?" he mumbles. Gently rolling her neck, all of her muscles seem to pop before she lulls her head back, finally letting out a tiny cry. "When's the last time you did anything about this?" She's chosen to stay silent, refusing to admit that she'd gone as far back as her last night at his house. Parts had loosened on their own. But her last full work up was just before she left for Mercedes' house. She would never hear the end of it. Rolling his eyes, Puck laughed. "It was me, wasn't it?" he whispered smugly.

"No..." she mumbled quietly. The slight flush that crawled up her neck while it popped made him chuckle.

"Don't lie to me, Fabray," he teased. All he gets is a growl of admittance. "That's what I thought. If you need to sleep, you can," he reminds her. Even though the last thing she wants to do is pass out on him, she can't help thinking his arms no better place for it.

"You're just as tired as I am," she pointed out. "She sleeps like you, right?" she laughed. "I'm pretty sure we'll get a few minutes," she shrugs, emitting another yawn. Puck nods in agreement, the early day finally catching up with him a little. He quietly wonders if she plans to move once he's done, hoping she's comfortable enough where she is and can't help feeling at least a little bit excited about it. Getting Beth settled is almost seamless. She's more than content in her mother's lap, taking care of their shared concern of leaving her by herself. She whimpers quietly to herself letting the curtain of her eyes come up, bringing Puck into view.

"Hi sweetheart," he whispered. His fingers comb through her hair calmly, her eyes coming down again almost immediately. His lips brush her forehead while he's hovered over Quinn before he pulls away from her, his attention now focused on the rest of her massage.

"I tried that and it didn't work," she pouts though the fact that she goes completely still at her father's touch is laughable.

"Magic hands," he smirked. Even with his slightly cocky attitude, the fact that he can do that for her still takes getting used to. "You have to stop doubting my skills..."

"Keep working. I might just change my mind..." Quinn knows she won't, that she virtually can't but Puck really needed to stop talking and let her just enjoy the relaxation. "And here I thought you didn't like talking," she teased.

"Well, isn't somebody a little demanding," he whispered, his comment said only inches from her ear. The breeze sends a slight shiver through her body before she quickly recovers.

"Do you want us to move? Because I'm pretty sure we're small enough for the loveseat over there." Not exactly part of the plan, a soft but possessive growl slips out of his mouth.

"Alright then," she giggled. "No wonder Daddy doesn't do so good in school," she mumbles. Puck has a counterargument sitting on his tongue but she wasn't entirely wrong.

"Now I know why you didn't come back..." he grumbled.

"You're such a liar. You missed me. You missed me _bad_ ," she teased poking her tongue out. If only she knew just how much... Even though it was probably worse than actually saying so, Puck finds himself gravitated to her lips, a small peck started at the corner that slowly grew to a full clash of mouths. "I knew it," she breathed softly. As good as he was at lying; he didn't have a hope in hell around Quinn. With her massage long forgotten, she let her head come to rest on his chest.

"Your mama's so demanding…." he whispers to Beth when her eyes drift open again.

"Ma..." she cooed tiredly. Even as her eyes stay closed, the lazy smile on the blonde's face is one that he hasn't seen enough of.

"She's cozy, isn't she?" he whispers. Beth offers a soft moan of contentment in reply. "You can go ahead and rest, B. We'll both be here when you wake up." Even if he knew the chances of that were slim to none, the little girl looked like she hadn't slept in days, no matter the energy she had hours before.

"Can you just hold me?" Quinn whispers. She knows it's a request that doesn't need asking but it comes out anyway. After everything he's given them with nothing in return it's the smallest thing she can do. The way he tries to take them in closer is all she needs to hear.

"Always," he whispered quietly digging out the pile of knots in her neck. In only minutes she can feel a haze washing over her. Noticing this, she hears Puck say something along the lines of "That didn't take long at all," but in mental fog she really can't be too sure. All she knows is that in time, she's found herself leaning against him heavily, his fingers weaving through her hair. "Like mother, like daughter," he laughed. She sleepily swats him away and curls further into some kind of fetal position.

He's starting to feel sleep weigh down on him too but his current situation doesn't allow him much room to stretch out. The girls have taken up the majority of the couch they had intended to share. So instead he reaches over their sleeping forms for the remote on Shelby's spotless coffee table, half tempted to coat it with finger prints just to piss her off. He decides against it, knowing he has a lot more decency than that. Reaching over Quinn's sleeping form, he flips mindlessly through the ten cable channels she has. She probably has some rule against TV too which makes him feel even sorrier for Beth. Even now, he knows how deprived her childhood is going to be. He sighs, settling for some stupid Hallmark classic because that's really all there is. In fifteen minutes he's bored to the point of sleep, which he quickly chooses over the thirty year old movie.

The front door swings open, startling Puck out of his sleep. Rubbing his face tiredly, he glares at the offending interruption. Shelby is making her presence incredibly obvious, heels clicking with determination on the hardwood floors of the foyer and living room. Either her afternoon with Berry went to shit or she's just being mindlessly oblivious.

"Can you take those off? She's asleep!" he hissed. The scowl she seems to always be wearing in their presence only deepens when he sees how they have all fallen asleep. Beth looks comfortable—almost too comfortable—where she is. That could only spell a fight when Puck and Quinn finally leave for the night. She almost wants to ask why she never made it to bed but the warning she gets Puck stops the question.

"Oh, my apologies," she whispered, eyeing Quinn who is still very much asleep, her head on his chest. She tries hard to hide her disapproval but isn't doing so well. The small family sits like lined up dominoes, the sight making the older woman scowl.

"It took us an hour. I'd like to see her sleep for as long as she can. Less work for you." Silently, he hopes his little girl gives her hell but for her sake, he wants to see her sleep.

"Thank you," she says much quieter now. Puck just nods mindlessly rubbing Quinn's shoulder as she sleeps.

"The two of you can go now, if you like," she says, opening the door for them to leave within the next ten minutes. He only sighs, gently shaking her again. She mumbles sleepily, swatting his hand off of her.

"Quinn," he whispered. "Shelby's home. I think it's time we get on home too." The grip she has on the little girl is heart-wrenching to witness. "C'mon, babe. We can take her up and go, okay?" Even if Shelby has something to say about it, he's easily ignoring her.

"No," she mumbles. "Comfy," she sighs, digging her face further into his chest, the muscles of her arms so tight he has to wonder if Beth's uncomfortable. He shifts a little, realizing just how close together they all are and laughs.

"You can sleep in the truck," he whispers. That's not even half the reason for her reluctance but he has to coax her somehow. She nods sleepily, struggling to her feet. "Can I take the baby?" he murmurs. Though she hasn't said anything, she gives him no fight when he moves her to his shoulder, his free arm wrapped tightly around Quinn.

"Woah….Room's all spinny…" she giggled. Shuffling them all up the stairs, he quietly tiptoes into his daughter's room. Either she's too tired for her usual protest or too warm and safe to be angry.

"Goodnight baby girl…We love you. So much." The day has been such a whirlwind he doesn't even realize he's wearing his letterman jacket, which he slips off without question and places next to Beth who wastes no time in burying her face in it.

"Da..." Pulling the blanket in more tightly around her, he's torn between picking her up and taking her home and finding the strength to walk out again.

"We'll be back, pretty girl. We promise...Right now I have to carry your mom to the car and get her home to bed. You try and stay asleep for us, okay? Thanks for an awesome day. We'll do it again soon. I'm pretty sure we'll both be here," he smiles recalling just how much Quinn thrived today.

"Yeah….carry…" He groans, taking her up bridal style and heads down the stairs for the door. Her hands find their way around his neck, a gentle sigh leaving her lips. Typical Puck sees flirty flags for a minute before mentally sobering up. Shelby's icy glare (which he quickly discovered she's terrible at hiding with her plastered smiles) makes him pick up his stride.

"Thanks for watching her," she says when they've reached the porch. Digging a couple of twenties out of her purse, she offers them to Puck sticking them into his palm while it supports the sleeping blonde in his arms. With a somewhat disgusted expression, he shakes his head. Who the hell would _pay_ him for spending time with his daughter? "I insist," she mumbles.

"No. I'm not letting you pay us for spending time with her." Hearing his plural she sighs heavily. "There must be something I can do for you…" _Lemme spend more time with my kid_. "I know how difficult she can be." Puck bites back an outright laugh. If only she knew. He smirks, deciding that she only puts up hell for Shelby. He'll have to thank her for that when she's older.

"Nah, it's okay. Save it for diapers or something. _Or decent cable_. She nods, closing the door as he turns his back. Pulling up next to his truck, he brushes her hair back gently. "Okay Quinn. I'm going to need you to swing the door open," he whispers. With eyes still closed, she claws blindly in search for the door handle, making Puck chuckle. Placing her inside carefully, he throws a blanket from his backseat over her shoulders. Pulling away, he cranks up the heat just a little.

* * *

It's been two hours and Shelby's allowed herself to kickback for the night. The volume on the TV rises, in direct proportion to Beth's incessant crying. She hasn't let up since the two of them left. The fact that she's waited until then makes her even more frustrated. She's been working with the "self-soothing" concept but after two hours she shows no sign of letting up.

"Can't sit back and watch some late night TV with some peace and quiet anymore," she sighed. Angrily throwing the remote down, she makes her way up to the nursery. There, she's greeted with a red-faced Beth who's calling out for her father with no intention of stopping. "Beth baby, he went home," she whispered, brushing her forehead gently. Stopping momentarily, tear filled eyes fall on Shelby, which immediately start her cries all over again. She raises her brow in concern, noticing that every once and a while she's cried herself so hard that she stops breathing. She picks her up bouncing her a little while making her way to the rocking chair. "You've been at this for two hours, Beth. I would have thought you'd cried yourself to sleep by now," she mumbles. The sound of her voice quiets the little girl, who has now focused her attention on the way her lips are forming words she doesn't yet understand. "Just go to sleep…" she muttered. "Please." Beth has found sleep again still buried in Shelby's chest encouraging the brunette to put her back down. She sends a silent thank you to the universe as she closes the door, making her way back to the living room.

She's more than a little put off by the fact that two teenagers had more hope of keeping her out than she did. She doesn't know one night in the last year that didn't end in the little girl being utterly exhausted, sleep washing over her by force. From sun up to sun down it seems to be struggle after struggle with only the shortest moments of peace. Was this the world's way of saying that she'd made a mistake in adopting her? Having met her parents beforehand, she knew it wasn't going to be easy but it sure as hell shouldn't have been this hard.

The crying commences not ten minutes later, the little girl's pleading becoming more painful than the last. Shelby's shocked she hasn't lost the ability to hear yet. Increasing the volume on the late night news, she manages to block it out, hoping that soon enough she'll tire herself out like she usually does. No such luck as an hour progresses with no change. Tiredly, she marches back up the stairs, greeted again by deafening cries.

"You just won't shut up, will you?" she groaned, the words falling out of her mouth before she can stop them. She's just so absolutely spent. The fact that she has to pull herself together for at least another hour is far too daunting. Her continuous pleading for Puck only makes her angrier. What makes him so much better than she is? He doesn't even live here. The three of them had a good day, yes but Beth couldn't cling to that all the time. How long is it going to take the little girl to realize who her constants are? "You know what Beth?" she growls, sweeping her up into her arms. The shock startles her into silence for three seconds before she cries again. "He's not coming back right now. I don't know how long it's going to take you to understand it but you're going to have to get some sleep or I won't let him come anymore." She knows she sounds utterly ridiculous but Shelby has honestly tried just about everything else. "I'm here and I'd really appreciate it if you went to sleep. It's already ten o'clock, four hours past your bed time...You had a big day. You should be happy to close those eyes." Shelby places her back in her crib, throwing a selection of toys in front of her. "Maybe if you play with these long enough, you'll finally fall asleep."

"Da…" she whimpered, her small lip beginning to tremble again. The older woman bites her lip when the baby seems to fall face first into her father's jacket, silenced for only a moment before she begins again.

"Beth..." she whispers, revealing her face so that at the very least she can try breathing normally. The expression on the woman's face sends her into another round of tears. "Beth, listen to me," she sighed wrapping the blanket around more tightly. "Mommy's _really_ had a long day and I'd really like to relax and get some sleep too." Even though she knows how venomous it makes her look, part of her is happy she's asking for Puck rather than Quinn. It makes the word easier to hear despite the tears pouring down her face.

"Da…"

"You know what? It's virtually impossible to catch a breather in this house anymore. You don't stop needing," she groans. Unsure of whether or not it's how close she is to the baby's face or the light pressure she's applied to her legs to keep them still, none of it seems to quiet her. "Can't you go to sleep like other good little girls?" Beth just looks up at her helplessly, arms coming out to be held. "I'll call them tomorrow, okay?" And if she ends up falling asleep, she will, even if the idea of Quinn coming in again will be a day full of power struggles.

"Ma... "

"I know," she mumbles, even though it tears her up to know it's the one word she's always wanted to hear and learning that she's asking for somebody else. Trying to find the strength to act as though it doesn't bother her, Shelby turns her back, losing the door behind her. Once the door has closed, Beth picks up her frustration again. "Just make it stop…" Shelby pleads, holding her head while it hammers insistently "Please, just make it stop…." Making her way back down to the kitchen, she rummages through her medicine cabinet, quietly cursing when she realizes that the canister is empty. She forgot to get her refill. Again. She _needs_ those pills if she has any hope of keeping it together. She pulls out a piece of golden starred stationary, dialing the numbers with an angry thumb.

"Hello…" Rachel answers sleepily.

"Hi Rachel, I hate to be a bother but I need to step out for a minute. Do you think you could watch Beth for a couple of hours?"

"Sure but it's…Almost midnight."

"I know. I remembered something I have to get done at work that needs immediate attention." The last thing the girl needs to hear is that her estranged mother is medicated. The cards seem to continue stacking in favour of a pair of teenagers and the idea of such a thing leaves her mortified.

"Okay… I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Thank you! You're an angel," she smiles.

Rachel's been left with Beth for a good half hour now. Unlike Shelby, she's taken to holding her, hoping that doing so will trigger some kind of calm. She has no idea whether she's doing it right or not. She's never babysat or been left with a small child before. Being held doesn't seem to tone her down completely (She's still crying a great deal and won't let up on her new favorite word).

"You can quiet down now, Beth," she whispers. "I have no idea what's gotten you so upset but…."

"Da…"

"You had a fun day with your daddy? That's nice. I always love spending time with mine." It wasn't hard to guess where Puck spent his Saturday after the surprise phone call she got.

"Da…" she cries more painfully. The plea seems to have come straight from her gut, the call rattling her tiny frame so hard that Rachel gasps quietly. The young girl is so frantic to fix it that she gives a small sigh of relief when she finally gets it. She almost feels stupid for not getting it in the first place, lecturing herself silently while she's dialing his number, running her hand awkwardly along the little girl's back. It rings several times before he picks up.

"'llo?" he mumbles. It takes him a minute that it's not his usual late night wake up call, the blonde curled up in bed next to him. Letting out a decently sized yawn, he squints while he reads the caller ID.

"Noah?" Of course. His first clue was how harsh it sounded. Quinn had a way of making it sound soft, like she was wrapping him in it. Rachel just threw it around like a headless mouse.

"For Christ's sake Berry, it's close to midnight," he muttered. "What do you want?" he growled, wanting nothing more than to find sleep again. He's had a perfectly fine day, literally full of everything he's ever wanted and he can't even close it on a happy note.

"It's….Beth," she said slowly. Almost like someone has doused him with ice cold water, he's up now and fully awake.

"What about Beth? Is she okay? Is she hurt? Is she...?"

"She's fine….I think. She's been quite upset. From what Shelby tells me, she hasn't slept for four hours. She's been up crying. She sounds like she's in a fair bit of pain but I'm sure she's just tired as ever." Pain? What kind of pain? He can only _hope_ that Shelby's too tired to try anything.

"Where's Shelby?"

"Out," she whispered. "She had to take care of something in the studio and called me over." Anger boils as he realizes that Shelby's left his daughter with a virtual stranger. What the fuck would she need from the studio? "She's doing a number on her vocal cords. I'm sad to say her days on Broadway might be out of the question if this continues..." she admits with a hint of sadness.

"I'm heading out to my truck now," he said quickly, throwing on a pair of pants he left on his bedroom floor a few hours before. "Is she wrapped in my jacket?"

"Your jacket? No. Should she be?" Puck tries not to growl. Mother and daughter are more alike than they think.

"I gave it to her. Helps her sleep. Can you just wrap her in it please? I'll be there in like five minutes," he says swallowing hard.

"Da…."

"I hear you, sweet girl," he whispers. How loud she's gotten makes her distress hard as hell to miss.

"Oh and Noah?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm hurrying," he replied, cringing as his stomach drops while he hears Beth in the background.

"She's not hurt. But I uhh...I'm sure she'll feel better if…" He didn't have to be told twice. As he slams his phone shut, he shakes Quinn, who for the night he's sharing his bed with. Taking her home was out of the question, seeing as, since she was asleep the conversation between him and Judy would be more than awkward. Especially if she managed to get herself drunk to the point of no return.

'Quinn," he whispered, nudging her gently.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

"You might wanna wake up," he said quickly. "Berry just called. From the sounds of it, Shelby's MIA…"

"What?" she asked with wide—and now very awake—eyes. Yes she was half asleep when they left but Shelby's return cut right through her attempt to sleep soundly. Where the hell did she still have to be? In the dark, she throws on whatever her hands can find.

"I don't know the details but it doesn't sound good." She nodded feverishly, stumbling alongside him toward the front door and out to the truck. Before she's even got the door closed, he's gunned the engine and whipped out of the driveway. Quinn can feel her heart pick up immeasurably at the thought of what could possibly have gone wrong. Was she sick? Was she hurt? Had Shelby….? No. The headlight of oncoming cars allows her to see what a death grip he's got on the wheel. Without thinking, her hand cups his knuckles, running what she hopes is calm circles around them. Puck just offers her a hard and barely relaxed expression. Time seems to drag on painfully as they wait to close the gap between driveways. The tires squeak loudly as he pulls in making Quinn cringe for a minute.

As the two make their way up the porch, they're immediately greeted by a frazzled Rachel.

"See honey, they're here!" Rachel only backs away, allowing them room to come inside. Almost instantly, they're greeted with a red-faced little girl who's almost thrown herself at Puck. He takes her wordlessly, the little girl clinging to him with every bit of strength she has. The only verbalization she's capable of is Puck's name over and over.

"Shh," he says, loud enough to be heard over her desperate calls. "I've got you baby. Shh," he whispers brushing her hair and tiny beads of sweat from her forehead. Ten minutes have passed before she's finally allowed herself to calm down, curling herself extremely close to him. "That's my girl," he says gently. "Nice big breaths." His daughter having calmed down considerably, Puck finally allows himself to step inside, Quinn following quietly behind him.

"I had no idea what to do…" Rachel cried. "She just kept crying and crying and crying and I just…."

"What the hell happened?" he growled. Part of him doesn't wanna be bothered with it. His only real concern is Beth. But there's something in him that knows the answer he's going to get and just needs to hear it for himself.

"Shelby called me to come over and look after Beth. From what I understand she had to go back to work for something…"

"Not believing that for a _second_ ," he muttered. "Unless she's a platinum selling artist, she doesn't need to be there at 12-fucking-30 at night..."

"Well, I don't know, Noah. She just called me and I came over. The crying hasn't stopped until now…"

"So you're telling me, Shelby just let her cry for four hours straight?" Quinn voiced incredulously. She just shrugged, still fighting the ringing in her ears. "Unbelievable," she whispered, tears finding a way to her own eyes.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Out," Rachel said again.

"Wrong. You best try that again," he whispered, glaring at the brunette. He's way too tired for this shit. The little girl in his arms just amplifies his anger.

"She's out, Noah. I don't know where," she said quickly.

"Well _someone_ better know where she is or I call the cops." The icy glare he's directed at her makes Rachel shrink back considerably.

"Just…breathe, Puck," Quinn whispered, cupping his fist with her shaking hand.

"Don't," he bit. "Don't tell me to calm down. Not when this bitch has quite possibly put my kid's life in jeopardy!" Rachel blanches at his bluntness while Quinn can only sigh with a shake of her head.

"She's fine, Puck. She's just fine," she whispered.

"She's not fine, Quinn," he snarled.

"Who are you holding and what is she doing?" He looks down to see that Beth has stayed asleep, keeping her desperate hold on him. As she drops a light kiss on her forehead, he lets himself breathe.

"Ma..." As comforting as it was to hear a few hours ago, something about Beth asking for her now leaves her flustered.

"We're both here, baby," she whispered, her touch making the little girl tense momentarily before she relaxed. "What kind of person just lets her cry…?"

"She must just be stressed out," Rachel whispered.

"Don't go making excuses for her, Berry! She left Beth with practically a stranger and before that probably just let her keep crying in the privacy of her own room."

"Puck she would never…" Quinn said shocked.

"I wouldn't put it past her," he muttered, holding Beth closer. The little girl offers him a set of dough eyes, eliciting a whimper as she wraps her hand around his finger and shoving it in her mouth, her next sob an echo around it. "Shh...I know, B. I know..." He kisses her hand, fighting tears of his own. At the sight of Puck's solid walls coming down, Quinn can't help losing it herself. Never in her life had she seen Puck so protective, so determined…so vulnerable.

"Puck?" she whispers. "You okay?" She knows it's a stupid question but they're the only words that come to the surface. He blinks, looking up at her failed attempt to stay calm.

"No," he whispered. Even though his tears have been wiped away, the fear in his gaze is still there. "I won't be okay until I get some answers."

"Noah," Rachel voices calmly. "This is one incident…I doubt something like this will be repeated."

"It's not the first time," he whispered. "I've done this a couple of times already," he sighed. "She's called me, frazzled out of her mind, begging me to 'make it stop'. I don't think she gets that Beth just wants..."

"Sweet Jesus," Quinn muttered. "How could she just…?" she whispered, kissing Beth's forehead tenderly. She smiles when the little girl seems to relax at her touch. She calls to her through a relaxed sigh, the sound of it making it hard to see straight.

"I have no fucking clue," he growled. Quinn brushes her onsie-clad leg gently making the little girl whimper painfully. She brushes the same place again, watching the little girl flinch and squeal tearfully. Tenderly exposing her ankle, tears crawl down her face.

"Puck?" she says in barely a whisper. He looks at where she's directed his attention and goes cold. There, staring them right in the face is a deep bruise.

"Fuck…" Instinct has him running a thumb along the injured area which is met with another one of Beth's protests. "I'm sorry, baby. Daddy won't touch it again," he whispers. The quiet conversation is shattered by the swinging open of the front door.

"Noah, Quinn, what the hell are you doing here?" Shelby snapped. Sweeping Beth into her arms, holding her close enough to her, she glares at the two. Being ripped away from her father so suddenly has started another round of piercing cries. He watches the older woman grimace at the sound rolling his eyes with disgust.

"What _are_ we doing here?" Quinn inquires with a fair bit more patience than the boy beside her. "We leave her asleep and not even an hour later she's screaming." She's tempted to point out that what they heard is very much like what's being presented in front of them but she figures it's pretty obvious to everyone in the room.

"Gimme my kid," Puck whispers. "I'll get her to relax and then you can tell us where you were." Shelby stiffens at the thought of recounting her latest errand. Instead she settles for a scowl and backs further away from the young couple, Beth held closely to her.

"Like hell!" she shot back. The rise in her tone is a bit of a surprise to them, even if she's done it before. To think they could handle this like normal people.

"Shelby, don't make me ask you twice," he said lowly. "Give me Beth. I can help get her to sleep and it'll be over. We'll even leave after if you want." Quinn looks at him oddly. Between the two of them, he was the most desperate to get here. Privately, he squeezes the blonde's hand, silently asking that she just trust him. Nodding slowly, she cleared her throat.

"And why the hell would I do that? You've spent plenty of time with her today. What? Couldn't get enough?" Puck has to clear his throat to keep a level head. For a woman so driven (albiet by her career), she did a really good job of turning circles around herself.

"Please Shelby..." Quinn whispered. "We just wanna help." Stepping forward, she waits patiently for the baby to be handed to her. Once she is, Beth whimpers softly, her mouth dragged along her mother's skin. She can feel the tension even without making eye contact, shuffling back to her place on the couch next to Puck. Laying her gently across her lap, the tremble of her lip has Quinn smiling sadly. "Better?" Turning over with a shallow grunt, it's her turn to startle when tiny hands clutch at her top and taking firm hold of her breast. Using it as an anchor, Beth has tried to pull herself even closer.

"Mama..." So focused on any possible reaction from Shelby, Quinn hardly notices the spot that has formed where Beth's mouth settled. Only prompted by her absolute disgust, Shelby realizes that she's actually trying to get through the young woman's top.

"What the hell is that?" It's Puck who hears the stumble in her speech, his blood running cold in realization. Even if it looks a little off, he turns an eye to his daughter's mother letting his fingers glide through her short hair.

"Pretty sure she's just trying to find what you were just too busy to give her," he whispered. He only hopes they get to the bottom of this soon because the sight of the little girl in such a desperate search for Quinn's affections is one he never thought he would have to see after so long. "What's the bar got that you can't find here?" Shelby blanched at the accusation, her face twisted in anger.

"Excuse me? Is that really how you think I spend my time?" What kind of mom does this boy think she really is? It's clear he doesn't think very highly of her but even those words are a little bit much.

"No. I _know_ you do," he growled. "At least, that's tonight's story. Here we are making all of these speculations about why she doesn't last two minutes with you and now it all makes too much sense. What'd she do? Cry too hard? Did you think that scaring her so bad she hurt that it would just stop? No. She howled over the phone while you left her here with Berry. What'd you have to forget so badly? It's midnight. We know it's not work."

"That's ridiculous, Noah. I would never lay a hand on my daughter!" Quinn feels physically ill when she finally dares to look the older woman in the face.

"So you decide to do whatever the hell you want with _mine_ ," she stated with a blazing anger.

"How many times do I have to remind you that she's not yours?" she bellowed. Even while she's trying to keep her calm, Quinn looks ready to jump at her. She's at a fine distance for the smell that wafts through the air. Handing Beth to him for no more than a second, the blonde slowly advances. Stepping in closer, the young mother sends a hand clear across her face.

"You've been drinking," she whispers with deadly calm, the look, the smell too familiar to overlook. Next to her, Puck nearly snarls, topping his disgust with a scoff and scowl. If it weren't for the baby he's holding, he would be a lot more vocal about it.

"Well congratulations, she's not going to be yours much longer," he laughs bitterly, hearing a knock at the front door. The lights of a squad car light the shocked expression on her face.

"You called the damn cops?" Puck rolls his eyes and laughs.

"Do we look like we can pick up a phone right now?" he mumbles nodding to Beth who squirms relentlessly in his arms. "Just give her a minute," he whispered.

"That would be me," Rachel said quietly. At the sound of a new voice, Shelby spins so hard she nearly sends herself flying.

"You! I trusted you! I asked you to look after her while I was out and this is what you do to me?" For only a minute Quinn contemplates what giving in would actually mean for everyone in the room. A relaxed baby, yes but two sets of eyes she never thought would see her like this. Beth is too determined to care about what Quinn might be thinking, a soft whimper falling out of her tiny mouth when she doesn't seem to be listening. She just shakes her head. She acts like she's going to be getting something out of it.

"Maybe just going through the motions..." Puck suggests quietly. Nodding with a soft sigh, she rolls Beth back far enough to inch up her top, now covered in small wet spots. Almost as if by magnetic force, she latches on, a single guttural breath before she starts pulling on her nipple slowly. Even though she knows it's an act long past due, letting her think she's feeding throws Quinn back into her own memories. Despite being absolutely sure, the nurses had given her instructions on nursing. She remembers trying not to think about it, afraid that letting herself feel any part of it will change her mind. It hurts a lot more too, but in this moment, the pressure hardly seems like anything. "Is that better?" she murmured.

"Happy girl..." Rachel whispered. In this moment it doesn't even bother Quinn that Berry is seeing her like this. It's even less of a concern for Puck, who holds a steady gaze with Shelby. "What I do for you and what I do for Beth are two completely different things."

"I'm shocked you were able to get yourself home," Puck grumbles. "Looks like you got it to stop," he smirked.

"You think I went out and got drunk?" she asked shocked.

"I know you did," he smirked. "I know what drunk looks like. And, I don't know about you but, given your situation, I'm not sure you're in any condition to look after small children." The clasp of metal bracelets stops Shelby from sending a punch to his jaw.

"Shelby Cocraine, you're under arrest for the neglect and abuse of Beth Puckerman-Fabray Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law…" Puck's almost surprised but equally glad to see that she's too out of it to put up much of a fight.

"I wanna see my lawyer!" she bellowed.

"You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you…" Rachel more than gladly throws the door closed as the three of them exit. When new silence washes over them, the only sound is one of many soft moans from Beth, who's eyes are heavy with sleep.

"Now what?" she asked. Quinn can't help being slightly jealous of the girl. She looks wide awake, nowhere near ready to sleep.

"Now, we call Artie's dad. I want those papers shredded and re-directed, tomorrow," Quinn said with determination. How they're going to accomplish that she has no idea but she sure as hell is not letting her daughter sit through another night of this.

"No need," Rachel smiled. "I've got a list of lawyers my dads have used over the years," she said already dialing, who they believe to be one of her fathers. Puck and Quinn groan simultaneously, realizing that if one of her hundreds of lawyers takes their case, they'd owe her for life.

"Thank you," Quinn whispered, surprising herself by offering Rachel a genuine smile. Even more outlandish is Puck, who's come to wrap his arms around the brunette. Rachel goes stiff for a minute, not at all expecting this display of appreciation before returning it.

As he holds her to him, Puck can't help but feel a more a wave of the greatest relief come over him. He's lost track of how much time has passed since watching Shelby be dragged away. Time, he decided was irrelevant. He would willingly sit there an entire day in this very room if it meant making sure his daughter was safe. Turning back to face them, he smiles when it sounds like Beth has finally managed steady breathing. With each one, Puck can't help but feel more and more helpless, guilty even. They shouldn't have to be here. They shouldn't be the ones to come fix this.

"I'm sorry, baby," he whispers. "So sorry." His mind rolls back to just a few hours before, the unease from earlier coming back in full force. "I should have stayed," he mumbles. If I'da just listened to myself… " he sighs, letting his voice fall to a whisper as he kisses her forehead. "Close your eyes, pretty girl," he murmurs combing a hand lightly through her hair. Though her eyes have closed, Beth remains on edge. Quinn can only breathe another heavy sigh as the heat of her small body melts into her. Rubbing her tummy softly, she's relieved when her eyes finally fall closed. "Look at that..." he smiles. "We both have magic hands."

Even if she's visibly shaken, he can feel a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Beth's here, safe, with them. _Where she should be_ he thinks. In fact, he more than thinks it. He knows it. Puck knows that's exactly how it should be. It takes him until now to pull himself out of his own head. Reality has Rachel talking a mile a minute making him cringe a little. "It's midnight. How the hell can she find the energy to keep talking?" he mutters. "Better question being, how are people still awake?"

Quinn offers Puck a small smile as she watches him from her place on the couch. A twinge of sadness washes over her when she realizes he's hardly moved, watchful and protective of all of them in a way that makes her heart heavy. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if the position they sat in now was the exact same one as an hour before. She finds herself biting through her lip as he hovers over her protectively, almost as though Shelby might be back for a final blow. Any resentment she felt for their bond earlier that day was almost nonexistent now. Instead she was simply grateful, the feeling spotted with bits of guilt for denying them the kind of relationship her daughter (Was it safe to call her that yet?) and Puck clearly needed. She even lets herself wonder just how much _she_ might need it. Quinn hadn't been a part of it for more than a day but in cases like these, a day was enough.

"She's out," Quinn whispered hesitantly brushing a finger over Beth's cheek. She pulls back a little when the baby cringes at her touch, a light whimper voicing her complaint. She decides instead to invite Puck to sit down with them. As much as she asked for the opportunity to bond, she knows that her frazzled nerves are bettered by the presence of her father, hands quietly twisting a dark curl on her head.

"I don't know," he whispers honestly, inhaling quietly. "After this shit she's usually in and out, just to check..." Puck's nose wrinkles almost instantly, the urge to hold her at arm's length. Quinn throws him a set of curious eyes, watching his face twist in disgust. As soon as she does, the smell hits her with new strength causing her to pull back in surprise. "How hammered was this bitch?" he groans. Quinn's eyes flicker with a warning for only a couple seconds before he sees them cloud with concern.

A sense of relief comes over her as she watches Rachel work on what must be her twentieth phone call of the night. "She does know people sleep around this time, right?" he mutters. Quinn just laughs slightly amused at their friend's constant failures. She's tentative about offering Beth the slightest touch, afraid she might end up rejected again. A subtle nod from Puck brings a shaky hand to her daughter's back, hazel eyes snapping open as she nuzzles her mother tiredly. Puck watches Quinn's face fall for only a second when he sees that she's practically buried her entire face against her. "Mama's not gonna let anything happen to you, baby girl," he whispers gently turning in her direction. Quinn can't help the soft smile that Puck's reassurance has put on her face. It's almost immediately washed over by overwhelming fear. She's comfortable now. They did fine today but...What happens now that it's more long term. She can't just give Beth back when she messes up. Again.

"Puck…?" she mumbles. He meets her eye with a soft smile of his own as he brushes a bit of hair from his daughter's eyes. "What if…?" Quinn asks timidly. Despite almost demanding the little girl be put back in their custody (she be damned if she put Beth through the system. She knows for a fact that Puck would never forgive her. It would be even harder for Quinn to find a way to forgive herself.) she was almost walking in blind. Her parents were never what would call supportive or even all that present. To be completely honest, she found them to be rather cold. How is she supposed to love when she was never taught how? "What if I can't?" she whispers.

"You can," he says with an air of confidence. One thing that came of their late night talks was a freedom to be open. It may have started off as both of them losing someone but, even if they hadn't planned on it, they'd let themselves slip into something deeper. Something she felt only he could understand. And he did, even if that wasn't a part of the plan. "Just keep your arms…" he instructs, gently bringing them to settle appropriately. A sleepy sigh leaves her sleeping form when she shifts again.

Watching her eyes snap open, Quinn feels herself go into some kind of panic as she awkwardly hands Beth back to Puck. "I…I can't. She...She wants you," she mutters moving to the far end of the couch. Groaning quietly, Puck slides further down letting their knees barely brush.

"You can, Quinn. She does that when she's moved around a bit. You didn't do anything wrong. You've done everything right so far." She's even done what he never expected. And it helped the little girl in ways even he couldn't. Quinn can't help feeling the slightest bit jealous when she takes in the perfect picture of the two of them. Beth looks so relaxed, so peaceful held protectively against Puck. If she wasn't still trembling a little from a few seconds ago, she would have laughed at the difference in size. Beth resembled a doll when compared to him. "You wanna try one more time?" he asks gently. Almost positive with her answer, she shakes her head again, curling into herself, head resting on her knees. She did what she was supposed to do. She did what any mom was supposed to do and it didn't work. "Come on..." he smiles, already preparing to hand her off. "C'mon Quinn. I really have to pee," he mutters.

Were she not slightly pissed off and still terrified, she would have laughed. Instead, she rolls her eyes letting shaky hands take the sleeping baby from him again. The minute she's in her lap, Quinn sends up a silent little pray, hoping Beth can be still and silent for two minutes. "You're doin' great," he whispered bringing a light kiss to her forehead. At the few seconds of contact, Quinn can feel her cheeks redden as she glares at his departing figure. Both for putting her in charge of a baby she felt she would drop or disturb the minute he had his back turned and for bringing a heat to her cheeks. When he's finally out of earshot Quinn blows a heavy sigh through her lips.

"It's just you and me, baby," she whispers brushing a thumb along her cheek. "We've done this before..." It's supposed to help her be okay with the way things have transformed in the span of a few hours but really, it does very little. She feels herself go stiff as Beth shuffles in her arms. Letting her hand go back to just hovering over her back, Quinn bites her lip nervously, closing her eyes while she mutters a silent plea. "Beth….Please don't—" Letting her nuzzle further into her neck, she blows a breath of relief when the baby stills in her arms. "Thank—" As soon as sleepy eyes settle on Quinn, she watches a pair of small lips quake, her face going red. "No…" she whispers bringing her closer. She begins a set of what she hopes to be soothing patterns. "He'll be right back..." Was she so frantic to make sure that they were both so constant? Despite the patterns and soothing tone she's offered, Beth has only gotten louder causing Quinn to become frazzled again.

Seeing Puck come strolling back in, Quinn feels her body relax, legs already working to meet him halfway. "See Beth?" she tried to smile making herself loud enough to be heard over the little girl's desperate pleas for her father. "He's right here, sweetheart." The minute he comes into her line of sight, Beth's cries seem to grow louder as she throws herself at him. As he lets her cling to him, Puck begins a string of reassurances, meeting Quinn's gaze in his peripheral vision. Even though she knows the little girl needs it, she can't help feeling forgotten. A stupid notion. Beth's just a baby.

"Shhh," he whispers to Beth as she seems to grow visibly calmer. "It's okay Beth. Big breaths," he whispers, racing a finger along her back. "Nice and big," he murmurs as she shifts her head to look at him. In the sudden silence he notices her labored breathing and her eyes are a deep red. Puck feels a shiver quake her tiny frame as he brings a light kiss to her forehead. "Better?" he smiles. The only answer he gets is a tight grip to the collar of his shirt. "I don't know about you but I think somebody needs a bath," he chuckles.

Puck meets Quinn's gaze as all she's done is stare for the last three minutes. She can't help feeling a little crest fallen at the events that just unfolded in front of her. Beth couldn't even last two minutes without losing it. At the same time, she can't be entirely shocked either. She's never exactly dealt with babies before. Babysitting can only take one so far, really. Add the fact that this is her first day ever seeing Beth that she's able to actually remember and it's no wonder she wants Puck within reach. Even if she wants the both of them there. He's been there, she hasn't. Simple as that. His hand to her shoulder startles her only slightly but she can't help a soft smile at his touch.

"Give yourself some time," he whispers. "She's a little shaky. She wants familiar." Quinn can't help rolling her eyes at him and how obvious he's sounding. Of course she wants familiar. The poor girl has quite possibly been scarred for life, no thanks to Shelby. Even thinking the name puts a sour taste in her mouth and she cringes visibly.

"My fault," she mutters. It's now that she finds the patterns in the carpet under her feet strangely fascinating. She'll do anything not to have to look him in the eye. She knows what they would tell her, how they would read. They read disappointed, sad, sympathy. The last thing Quinn needs is sympathy. This right here is her fault. She can blame no one but herself for what's happened, for the hell she's put her daughter through. "I honestly thought she'd be…safe," she whispers. "….happy. And now this," she mutters more than disgusted with herself. "My…My baby's in pain. Battered and bruised and it's…me. All me," she adds, the last of it barely audible as it catches in her throat. She doesn't even realize that she's let herself dissolve until she takes in the scent of his aftershave, one strong arm bringing her closer to him.

"I need you to stop," he says gently. "Stop blaming yourself. You did what you thought was best for her. You can't beat yourself up for being selfless, Quinn. You can't. What you _can_ do is be her now. Be the mom I _know_ you can be. Is it a little soon? Hell yes. But that doesn't change what's already happened. What's important now is that we do what we can. With Shelby in the slammer, I'm not gonna see her go through the system. Not when she's got a mommy and a daddy right here," he whispers.

"School," she reasons. "What about school? And money and jobs?" she says resisting the smile that pulls against her lips as he brushes along her face. "How are we going to do all that…?"

"We make it work," he says with a shrug.

"She can't handle more than a minute away from you," she points out.

"From us," he clarifies. A small smile spreads across his face despite the seriousness of the conversation. Puck thinks for a minute before offering her a subtle smirk.

"We'll see how she does after a week." This one has nothing to do with ditching school. She knows better than she probably should that he's thought of Ava and how she might feel with the sudden invasion. "Where else can she go? There is no way in hell CPS is taking her," he says seriously. Quinn's gaze softens at his determination. Now, it's her turn to bring a hand to his shoulder.

Quinn swallows hard, not even sure why there's been such a delay. Now that they've gotten exactly what they wanted, at what cost? How were they supposed to do this by themselves? The same thoughts have run circles in her head all day. She knows that if she voices them, she's going to sound like a repetitive fool."

"Noah...I don't...know. It all makes so much sense but...What if I mess it up? What if I..?" She doesn't even bother addressing concerns about him. She no longer has them. Not after today. "She...I don't wanna be a bad mom...I can't..." Puck just shakes his head.

"You won't...You can't," he mumbles. "Quinn, you've done more for her already than you know..."

"Yeah but what if I…?"

"You won't," he shoots back affectively cutting her off.

"How do you know that?"

"I know you, Quinn Fabray." As much as she wants to deny him that claim, they both know he's right. They know more about one another than two people should.

"Puck…" she smiles humored by just how clueless he could be sometimes."You really don't." It helps to say he's wrong. It helps hide the truth. Noah Puckerman knows her in the most intimate ways, far beyond any sexual chemistry.

"But I know enough," he says. "For now, I know enough. And that's good for now." It's at times like these that make Quinn wonder why she'd ever turned him down, why she'd never offered him the chance she knew somewhere deep inside herself that he deserved. This Puck, the one he'd seen all day, had an eerie resemblance to the one she'd encountered at the hospital. He was soft spoken, determined, vulnerable. _This_ was Noah.

"School," she whispers. It's really a wonder (even to herself) that she could be thinking about her education at a time like this. Here they were, Beth fresh from…whatever it was that she's just been through (Quinn decides not to label it. Leaving it nameless is easier) and all she can think about is classes.

"That's not our number one right now," Puck says pulling her out of her minor trance. She nods, for once, (maybe twice now) agreeing with his logic.

"You're right," she whispers. He easily hides his surprise at what she's just admitted. It might be the first time he's ever won one of their "arguments" Still, he can't keep a small smirk from spreading across his mouth. "Don't get used to it," she grumbles. The smile stays, regardless. Only a few seconds after they've closed up their discussion, Rachel strolls in, a lot less perky than when she first arrived. Quinn barely manages to keep from staring, open-mouthed at the startling difference.

"Alright well, I've managed to contact every one of my previous lawyers, leaving messages on each of their machines for them to review in the morning." Puck rolls his eyes at her as he tries to hide a small smile.

"Couldn't you have done that in the morning? Ya know, when everyone's actually _awake_ and in the office?" The brunette just shrugs plopping herself down on the couch behind her.

"No time like the present," she smiles. His reply is a scoff, earning him a light nudge in the rib from Quinn.

"What?" he hissed.

"Be grateful," she mutters between clenched teeth.

"Yeah…Thanks Berry." He wonders how he found it in him to hug the girl earlier. Now she's returned to her usually annoying self, though given them resources they probably wouldn't have otherwise. All in the name of keeping a little girl safe and happy.

"Glad to do it," she says cheerfully. Puck silently wonders which part of it she enjoyed more. The helping or the chance to talk nonstop for at least an hour. "This way, you can be sure that your case is one of the first ones reviewed by one of Daddy's attorneys. It moves the process along much faster." He nods, not really caring on the particulars of the whole thing. The bare-boned facts were that they were getting Beth back. To him, that's all that really matters.

"Thanks again," he mumbled.

"I should probably…get home," Rachel decides awkwardly.

"Rachel, it's one in the morning," Quinn counters. "Take one of the spares upstairs."

"What?" Puck hissed. The blond just shoots him a glare urging him to just agree with her so they can move on.

"Oh, no, no. My house is just a few blocks up," she says, her hand already working to open the front door.

"Berry, you're outta your fucking mind," Puck mumbles. Considering what she's just done for them, he figures he might as well just side with Quinn on this one. But he's not exactly going to be happy go lucky about it.

"Puck!" Quinn mutters back, slightly disgusted by his choice of words.

"What? She is! It's dark as hell out there and who knows what could happen. Go ahead and crash in one of the bedrooms," he almost demands. "Here's hoping you actually get enough sleep for your six hours of vocal whatever tomorrow." How she had it in her to do this shit for the eentire summer was beyond him.

"Thank you," Rachel whispers shyly, pulling out her phone to send a quick note to her dads.

"They track you like a puppy or something?" Puck asks amused.

"No…" she says slowly. "I just like to let them know where I am periodically."

"That's called tracking…" he mumbles.

"Do either of _your_ parents know where you are?" she challenged, glancing at them skeptically.

"Yup," Puck replies smugly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we better to hit the sack. Hope it's comfy enough for you." Making his way up the stairs, Puck notices Rachel's attempt to hide shock as it flashes across her face.

"You two…?"

"No," Quinn answers for them. Even though he knows it's true, Quinn's denial of the sleeping arrangements has left him a little disappointed. Apparently the little moment on the couch is all he's going to get. _Always wanting more..._ he thought to himself. After saying one more quick and somewhat strained goodnight to Rachel the three make their way up to the bathroom.

"You wanna start the tub while I strip her down?" She nods filling only the first couple of inches. When Puck tries putting her in the water, she doesn't even last a second before starting to cry. "Okay, okay. Shh. We'll just sit here for a minute, alright?" he whispers, Beth's small hands take hold of him as a short set of whimpers voice her unease. Quinn shuffles awkwardly, biting her lip as she finally lets her suggestion slip from her lips.

"Maybe…." she mumbles. "I think the best way to…get her to take one is if you…." Puck looks up at her slightly amused as he watches her struggle with her words. Quinn wants to smack herself for sounding like such a moron. She's always been so sure about everything she thinks and says. Words have honestly never been this hard to find. She blames Puck for that. Puck and his…She shakes her head a subtle warmth crawling up her neck.

"Got in there with her?" he finishes raising a brow. She can only nod as it deepens to a light pink settling on her cheeks. Knowing that it will more than likely land him in hot water, he fights the smirk that wants to spread across his lips as he watches Quinn's face turn color, her gaze averted in the opposite direction. He nods realizing that it might be the only way they get a bath out of her. "Can you take her for a minute?" Quinn nods uneasily as she offers to take her, relieved when she seems oddly…quiet now. He smiles as he takes Beth back, a small nod being his silent approval. "Being a good girl for Mama?" he asks as he steps in, in nothing but boxers. Despite everything, she can't help but stop and stare for a minute. It's not like she hasn't seen any of it before. In fact, she's seen more of it than she should. Still, there's something new about it. Maybe it's the fact that she's stone-cold sober this time. Either way, she spends the next ten minutes just…watching.

Even if she doesn't dare to touch Beth yet, that doesn't hide the fact that she can see them. Little tiny bruises and lacerations cover her impossibly small body, the sight of each one causing her throat to go dry as a lump finds its way there. She watches Puck tense in visible anger as he lightly traces over them, whispering apologies for every one of them that hurts Beth. Shaking her head, she decides to watch _them_ instead. Quinn still can't get over how gentle a guy like Puck can be. He's handled her so carefully it almost makes her want to cry. _Why couldn't my daddy be like that?_ It takes her until now to finally admit why it was she envied Puck so much when it came to Beth. He is everything a father should be, everything hers should have been.

"I lied," she whispers. He looks up at her with curious eyes that don't waver for what feels like a long time. "The night she was born…When we watched her outside that window…I said "no" while everything in me but one little piece said "yes". I let the little piece win. The last thing I wanted was to…become my mother. I couldn't…I wouldn't let her live my life. You learn from your history or you're doomed to repeat it," she whispers. He nods. He nods because he knows. Quinn may never remember blacking out like she often does but he's the one left with the reminders when it happens.

"You're not your mother," he says letting the water cascade over Beth's lathered hair. "I don't know how you would even think that…" Quinn offers a small private smile. Looking down at her watch, she realizes it's around that same time now. Round one. As is their routine, there is no ice breaker. She just says what needs to be said

"I live a life of perfection, Puck. I practically breathe it. I have to. That's how I was raised. I know firsthand what it does to someone. I wasn't gonna be that person, that mom."

"You're not," he mumbles, a light growl to his reply. Quinn just shakes her head.

"I pray I don't end up like them…"

"I don't know why you're praying for stuff like that. I can already tell. Remember this morning when she had her first meltdown?" she nods. "She was all good as long as you just held her for a minute. You sat up here for about twenty minutes and just let her sleep. Not in her crib, where she could have been. You just held her. You jumped out of bed even before I did to get back here. You defended her against Shelby. Twice. That last one? That tells me the most...You didn't have to. I'm not sure what an empty boob does for her but she was calm and quiet as long as she thought she was doing something. All of that tells me a lot. You're nothing like your parents, Quinn. I don't know how many times we're going to have this talk until you actually believe me." Despite how much she wants to contradict him, all Quinn can do is smile. Puck feels a similar expression cross his face when he sees it. It's genuine, bringing a light to her eyes he hasn't seen in a while. The full affect sets something off in him that he hasn't felt all year, though he can't exactly place it.

Quinn chuckles as she watches Beth's head lull forward onto her father's chest. Stepping forward they make a quiet exchange so Puck can make his way out. After only a minute, Beth starts to squirm finally settling in the crook of her neck. Only the smallest of whimpers this time as she sleepily calls out for Puck.

"He's here, Beth," she whispers.

"Lemme just grab my extra pair of clothes. I'll be right back."

"You keep an extra pair of—? You know what, nevermind." She decides not exactly having the energy to question his motives. He returns a minute later in fresh clothes as they make another quiet exchange. After changing her into clean pajamas the two spend a minute just starring at each other. "You take this one. I'll take the one across the hall…"

"It's not like we haven't done it before," he pointed out. She wants to reason with him that his room had been her only option earlier that night. Now, they had more options. More than they should for a single woman and a baby. Instead, she rolls her eyes at him, setting them in a glare. "I won't do anything, I swear," he says raising his hands in surrender. Quinn only groans but finds herself agreeing with him. She won't tell him but being alone is really the last thing she wants tonight.

"I'm trusting you," she muttered as the three make their way to the bedroom. As they both slip under the covers, Beth comfortably lying on Puck's chest, Quinn offers him a small smirk when she sees his eyes light up.

"Is that my…?"

"It was the first one I could find in a rush," she says quickly.

"Uh huh…." He smirks.

"It's a nice shirt, okay? It's warm…." Quinn adds in a whisper. _And it kinda smells like you_. His smirk turns to a real smile as she voices her line of confessions. Puck continues to stare her down teasingly causing her to cross her arms angrily. "What?" she bites.

"I like it," he admits. Offering him an exaggerated sigh, she turns back to face him running a hand quietly through Beth's hair.

"Sweet dreams, baby," she whispers. Turning back to Puck, Quinn hesitantly rests her head on his shoulder, her action receiving a questioning look. "The pillow's too soft," she lies. He nods bringing his arm back around her. After a few minutes, she sighs, deciding that the arrangement's only for tonight. Tonight, she needs this, probably more than ever. Not Puck but the way his arm kinda just lays there protecting her, protecting both of them. Almost like he's supposed to. She needs safe. Tonight, more than anything, she just needs to feel safe. Wanted would be nice. Wanted and loved. Yeah, love would be nice too. Though she can't exactly put a finger on what that is or how it's supposed to make her feel. All she knows is that it's different. Different in a way that terrifies her. Different in a way that almost makes her want to run and hide. But there's nowhere to go. Nowhere she can or wants to go.

Hearing his steady breath as he quickly falls to sleep Quinn suddenly feels at ease, a sense of peace washing over her. Then it hits her. It's just Puck. Right here, right now, all she really needs is Puck. Puck and Beth. "Goodnight…Noah," she mumbles before letting her head roll onto his shoulder again. Once she does, Quinn can feel herself falling asleep faster, easier, than she has in almost a year.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright so I wasn't planning this one for a while but...Guess the story writes itself.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this one took so long, guys. Made it...rather extensive to make up for the lack of update.**

 **Disclaimer: *See Chapter 1***

* * *

Just as quickly as she gave into sleep, Beth's contained whimper brought her to consciousness, her small breath quickening to a steady cry in the darkened room. Launching into an upright position Quinn felt for the light, a portion of the room now bathed in false sun beam. When her eyes finally adjusted, the young mother could almost taste her heart in her throat when she noted the panic in her expression, something identical washing over Puck's face when he finally joined them in consciousness.

"Da..." Quinn raised a sharp brow when she noticed how easily the syllable brought Puck out of his fog. With one eye barely open, the tension he could sense across her tiny body brought him to full awareness in mere seconds. "Da!" Said with hesitation and shaking confidence before, her second attempt seemed laced with tearful frustration, the little girl curling up so tightly, her anguish came across with struggle.

"Beth..." Quinn whispered, the sigh she gave in response almost a moot point. There was no way she was going to be heard over the steady sob. What made it even more painful to hear was the fact that what she wanted was right there in front of her, though she called for him as if it was just her and an empty room of silence. The potential for that very situation made the blonde's blood boil, the conversation from earlier now echoing in her head. _Who would just let her...?_

"Dude, I'm right here...Relax..." Swallowing hard, she met Puck's confusion and shook her head softly. "I don't..."

"Keep talking," she offered. "Touching...I don't know," she shrugged biting her lip. It wasn't until she said as much that she realized (rather pathetically) that having him do one or the other, sometimes both, quieted her own nerves. Not even sure where to begin, Puck began massaging her scalp gently, Beth's desperation coming out in peaks and valleys.

"Shh...Everybody's right here," he whispered. "Daddy's right here...I'm not leaving...Not anymore..." Even while saying so, he couldn't help hating himself for every other time that he did. In this moment it didn't even matter that he never had a choice. It had become enough that he left at all, leaving the little girl so confused she couldn't process anything different, no matter where he was. As she once again struggled for breath, she met him with haunted eyes, the sight of them layering his mouth with sandpaper. "I need you to breathe for me, pretty girl...Nobody's going anywhere." The air in his lungs froze when he felt Beth trying to bite down as hard as she could on his knuckle, her caged sob crawling up her chest until it exploded through the room.

"Da..." she whimpered helplessly. The two looked at each other, completely lost. Puck couldn't hold Beth any closer if he tried.

"You're as close as you can get, baby girl. I'm holding as tight as I can without hurting you..."

Quinn watched as he brought her even closer, his attempts to tighten the hold he already had on Beth only easing her little. Despite staying buried in her father's chest, he could feel the steady stream work its way down centre. "What happened?" he asked tiredly. Struggling to a sitting position only seemed to sharpen her cry, tiny nails leaving pink tracks down his chest. "Hey..." he yawned bringing a steady thumb across her back. "I'm not a scratching post..."

"He's not going anywhere, sweetheart," she mumbled drying the moisture with a soft sweep of her fingers. Her aching heart chipped away all the more when Beth rubbed her face against him, avoiding her completely. "Neither am I..." she sighed, realizing as she said it how much she actually meant it. She'd already made that mistake once before. After the day they'd just had, she couldn't fathom pulling away again, even if in some capacity, it still made all the sense in the world.

"Mama's not gonna hurt you, B. I promise..." The tension in her small shoulders lessened incrementally, until eventually she went still against him. If it wasn't such a relief to see her relax, Quinn would have laughed at how easily she seemed to listen to him. "There we go..." he crooned. The sound of it almost made her feel worse. Around his daughter, Puck seemed to take an almost foreign identity, buried so deep inside of him that Quinn hardly believed it existed at all. If she had just been smart...If she could just go back... She had to fight the wave of nausea that threatened to consume her, her focus drawn entirely to the pair before her. "We good now?" They were packed in so close that the blonde could feel here attempt at a soft sigh as it blew between them. "Good girl..."

"Da..." It sounded almost musical, somewhat of a comfort to Quinn while she tried to find a soft smile.

"That's right, baby. That's your daddy." _He loves you so much_ she thought, trying to fight her own disgust when she realized just how fucked up things had to get to bring them here. And to think, it all came down to a stupid piece of paper. One that held the power of a promise broken, possibly before it was even made. "I won't take him away ever again..." His own shoulders fell when Puck took in the tone of her voice, the natural instinct to shake his head already working without so much as a thought. "We both know I did, Noah...It was selfish. I did that. I own that. We don't have to lie just to make me feel like less of an idiot."

"I think she needs some love..." he whispered, the thought clearly meant for only Beth to hear as he pressed it against her tiny ear. Quinn quietly rolled her eyes, shoving him a little.

"You're not going to force her to like me," she mumbled. Puck blinked, looking her over slowly. "She feels safe where she is," she shrugged. "She doesn't have to move." Though not her intention, Quinn almost kicked herself for sounding disappointed. As good as it was for Beth, her preference for him just spoke to how inadequate she was as a mother, how much better prepared Puck was and would ever be by comparison. The sudden shift in behaviour would never lose its ability to shock her. Watching him bite the inside of his cheek in some kind of apology, she offered a wave of her hand. "Sorry...She's good...She's happy. I would rather see that than watch her hurt."

"There's only so much of my finger she can bite off before she gets tired of it," he pointed out. She was ready to counter that with the fact that it wasn't about using his body parts as chew toys. With him, Beth felt protected. In his presence she could be reassured that nothing would ever touch her again. What more could she possibly need than to know those two basic things right now? The quiet pop of his released digit moments later made Quinn smile some. "Exactly." When small fingers wrapped around her shirt to pull herself over, the blonde turned, acknowledging her attempt to reach after barely a second, welcoming the warmth of her small body with an openness she never thought herself capable of. The fear that resulted from what they'd witnessed earlier that day sat heavy in her chest. To know that her attempt to keep Beth safe had backfired in practically every single way was paralyzing. When her daughter—the term still felt so alien in her mouth—nuzzled comfortably against her, every one of Quinn's frazzled nerves settled to a dull roar.

"Hi... " she found herself murmuring softly. "He makes everything better, huh?" Much like her father, Beth seemed all too content to ignore her, a steady sigh warm against the woman's chest while the baby made herself comfortable. Once in prime position, Quinn felt the contrast of wet lips and gums across her skin and found herself going still. The look of longing the young mother received made the woman's heart constrict. "I can't..." she whispered. "I don't have anymore..." The fear that earlier wrapped her so tightly had lessened considerably, despite the unease that came over her. No longer a case of feeling entirely self-conscious, there was still that silent reality. The window of opportunity had come and gone, and no matter how many different ways she asked for it, comfort like that was no longer an option.

"Mama," Beth cooed sleepily, her brown eyes wider than ever. If the bond forged between father and daughter wasn't already enough of an indication, Puck's reflection was heart-stopping. Not for the first time, she was reminded how easy it was to fall into them, how effortless it seemed he was able to win her over. She would never dream of saying as much out loud but all egos set aside, she had a sinking feeling that part of him knew that too. "Mmmm..." she moaned, the majority of a fist shoved in her mouth while she rubbed her face tiredly against her mother's breasts.

"I know..." she whispered, fully aware that karma might just be biting her in the ass now. There was a time when she would be able to do at least that right. All she had left was a hope and a prayer that she had the slightest chance of pulling any of this off. "I'm sorry..." Quinn mumbled while a whimper built in the little girl's tiny chest.

"I won't look," he muttered. Quinn shot him a doubtful look, surprised when there lacked a familiar light of jest in his eyes. She amazed even herself when Quinn realized it wasn't about what he did and didn't see. After seeing one another completely naked, there wasn't very much hiding either of them could do anymore. Hesitation stemmed from knowing that no matter how frequently Beth asked to "feed" she would always be waiting for the nourishment that would never come. Still, she found herself making no motion to stop her as she shuffled closer to her breast, nipping at it though the shirt she wore with a quiet whine and an all too familiar pleading gaze. "Beth..." Knowing better than to think this fight was going anywhere, Quinn sighed in defeat, pushing the little girl back for only seconds while she sent the tshirt up over her head. "Come here, love." Settling her right up against the warmth of her body, she smiled, small hands wrapping themselves around her while the little girl tugged at her nipple in a chorus of contented hums.

"You like that, huh?" Puck smiled combing gently through her hair. "I totally get it," he mumbled. Quinn could only scoff in response. "We know what we like," he shrugged as if that were all the explanation necessary. Rather than give into the urge to throw a pillow at his head, Quinn found herself nodding, her fingers carefully caressing her daughter's cheek. The small cry that hummed across her skin while she did so allowed her to worm her way back into the sheets. Beth kept her steady gaze, as though even blinking would ruin the sight before her.

"Can you close those eyes for me?" she murmured. Even though she didn't feel the need to hold Quinn in a steal trap like hours before, the little girl seemed determined to keep the nipple in her mouth for as long as she could, burrowed as close to the blonde as their bodies allowed. "Are you going to hang onto that for a bit?" she inquired softly. Beth just continued to study her, neck craned to take in as much of her mother as she could before the woman disappeared again. "It has to come at some point, sweetheart..."

"Mmm..."

"If you plan is to wait until something happens, I think you'll be there a while," Puck muttered.

"I...don't even get it. She would have stopped needing this a while ago. I...stopped," she whispered trying not to choke on her words.

"We talked to her a lot," he pointed out. "If she's like you, I think part of her remembers that." Quinn quietly stared at him, piercing her lip while she considered it. There had been nights when only the sound of her father's voice would settle her. That was something true to babies in general. But Quinn recalled far too many times when nothing would stop the constant spin of her thoughts. Noah would touch her...sometimes even talk to her and her eyes would finally grow impossibly heavy. By contrast, Quinn only seemed to take advantage of her daughter's ear when there was no one around to listen to her vent her frustration. How the hell was that worth remembering?

"All I ever did was talk at you," she muttered more than disappointed in herself. "When you weren't around, I ended up doing the same to her..." Puck grinned, quietly folding a golden thread behind her ear. As much as she tried to ignore it, the heat of his breath was unmistakable against her skin. The warmth that radiated made breathing impossible for all of five seconds before she forced herself to do so. Even when no proper sound fell out, she could tell by his presence that Puck wasn't even trying to hide his amusement anymore.

"You're a good mama," he whispered kissing her temple. She could taste a firm no growing bitter on her tongue only seconds from spilling out. Instead she felt tears building at the back of her throat, silently spilling down her cheeks. He'd already said so in various ways. As sincere as this one sounded, no matter how honest he always was there were parts of her that would never see any of that. Words like this should be said by her mother. Instead, they found shape in the boy she'd never thanked enough. Over the last year, Puck had gone above and beyond to give her what she wanted, the things she needed, and she never so much as thanked him.

"Thank you..." Puck carefully pulled them in against him, kneading his thumb against the small of her back, nibbling tenderly at her neck. Quinn could feel her breath catch when she realized just how close he was. "Noah, we can't," she warned. When she heard Puck settle in behind them, she instinctively leaned into him, Beth now fast asleep. She practically jarred when his eager fingers found their way around to her sensitive chest. "Noah..." What started out as second warning fell flat in her mouth as she gravitated into his chest.

"I miss my baby mama," he admitted. She couldn't even stop the bob of her head, the sound of his voice making her more agreeable than she knew she should be. "I think I know how to give her the real deal." Quinn eyed him suspiciously, quietly pulling away from him.

"We're not having another baby," she said firmly. "We just got this one back." He only continued to ignore her as he offered her a subtle twist of her nipple, the sudden sensation forcing her to bite down on her own tongue to keep quiet. "Puck! Not here!" she growled. "We're not doing this in front of our daughter."

"I'm not stupid," he muttered. "Just something to think about for later. Mom's a nurse, remember? Says that after a few days, stimulation starts you up again."

"She's over a year old, Noah. Why would I want to start my breast milk up again when she shouldn't even need it anymore?"

"I don't know. I just thought it would be something we could try," he mumbled. "And I thought it'd be kind of fun."

"For you," she grumbled. She felt him go rigid behind her, every fiber of her being wishing she could take back the harsh tone. "I'm sorry. I just don't think it makes a lot of sense. In a couple of weeks, I'd start producing milk again. It's just going to set her back more. I know she's scared. I know she wants to feel safe but that's not the way to do it. If she's doing it just for the comfort, eventually she'll stop asking." He just nodded, knowing that no matter how he looked at it, Quinn was right. She sighed. As usual, his heart was in the right place. It was his plans of action that always fell short of something logical. If they had any hope of helping Beth get past this, they couldn't be facilitators. _No matter how much I miss you_ she thought.

"Sorry."

"I know," she whispered. "So am I." Even though Beth had long since latched on, finally giving into sleep, something about covering back up felt cruel. He'd already seen all there was to see. She'd already robbed him of so much in just the last year. To let him hold her bare seemed the least she could do to reward all of his patience. "You could maybe hold us though. I think that would be good."

"Can we stay like this?" he asked, fully prepared to help her back into his shirt. When she slowly nodded, he impulsively pulled her in closer in an attempt to keep her warm. The tired sigh she offered him made the grin on his face impossible to hide.

"I miss you too," she conceded. "I shouldn't but I do. She's right to love you more."

"Quinn, we're not doing this again..."

"You're safe. You've done everything you can to make her feel safe. I know you were determined to be her father. With or without me, you made that happen. You keep telling me that I have this natural instinct about her. Maybe I do. Or maybe I'm just starting to find it. But so do you. I think you always have. Short of being Berry's mom, I didn't want to believe there was anything wrong with Shelby. I couldn't believe that. If I let myself even consider it, I wouldn't let this little girl go. I guess I did..." she whispered. "I just sent her off in the wrong direction."

"She started off okay," he said quietly. "I think she was even excited for a while. It's when B found her true nature that she got kind of lost. Neither of us like to be told no," he laughed. "Shove all of that in a tiny little body and all you get is screaming."

"She's so used to things going the way she wants them to..." Quinn said softly. Watching Puck nod, she felt her heart begin to hammer quietly.

"Not exactly a match made in heaven." Resting his lips at her collarbone, he quietly inhaled her, unsure of how his next few words were going to sound. "After about a month...I got the first call. Beth wouldn't stop crying. She hadn't slept in two days and Shelby was losing her shit." Quinn stiffened, instinctively bringing the little girl in closer. "I brought my guitar and played until she cooled off. When she was calm...I kind of forgot about everything else. The math test I failed that week didn't even matter. I didn't know shit about math but I was able to get her to sleep. When she realized that music got her to relax, Shelby tried the singing thing. It kinda worked but not really. She started calling me every few days, just to get me to do that. She was out in like a minute," he said proudly. Quinn smiled, her heart filling up when she recalled exactly why that might be.

"You played for her all the time," she said softly. "When Burt was crazy enough to make you work late nights, I didn't have a hope in the world. Pretty sure she liked the sound of the actual instrument. Either that or I was just a terrible singer," she teased. He smiled fondly at the memory as he traced along the blonde's shoulder.

"Didn't take long for me to just start showing up. I went over every night and before I even got to strumming, she would just go completely silent. A few days later...she looked at me. Really looked at me. Like she finally got around to figuring it out. When I went over for Thanksgiving, I didn't even have it with me. She just...reached for me. After that, the music didn't matter. I'd just come over and hold her." She had to fight the natural tendency toward jealously that often surfaced when he talked about the small milestones she was stupid enough to miss.

"How come it wasn't you?" she asked, a sense of peace washing over her as the darkness enveloped them.

"I don't like talking about me, remember?"

"So you talked about me." When he nodded, a subtle chill travelled from the base of her spine. Even as he noticed this, Puck just shook his head.

"You really think I'd spend every damn day with her and you'd never come up? Quinn you came up all the time. I don't think there was a time when you didn't. I don't care that Shelby's look could kill me where I stood. We promised to tell her the truth one day. And that was part of it. Making sure she knew who you were. I'm really glad she's smart like you. Otherwise she wouldn't have put two and two together as quick as she did."

"Noah...that's..."

"Stupid, I know," he mumbled. "I just...I couldn't live with myself if I lied to my kid."

"No," she countered gently bringing a kiss to his lips. If he wasn't so focused on letting her finish her thought, Puck would welcome the fog that washed over him with open arms. "Noah, that's beautiful...and brave. You didn't let Shelby say no. I did...I let everyone say no. I listened to my head instead of my heart. You made sure to do everything I told you not to. And tonight...Tonight being a hardhead worked in your favour," she chuckled. "Beth is safe...She's loved. And even though I don't quite understand it, a part of her knows who we are. _You_ did that all on your own. You've _always_ done more than enough for the people you..."

"She's my kid." The blonde shook her head, pressing a small kiss to his jaw.

"But I am not your wife," she added. "Just because I am the mother of your child does not make it your responsibility to...love me," she said meekly. "I don't for the life of me understand why you do when all I have ever done is deny you the things you so rightly deserve but I..."

"I don't know how not to..." he mumbled. "Quinn, you just make things make sense. Not school stuff but just...life. Before I met you, things just kept falling apart. When he left...Mom just...For a while she threw herself head first into work. I know she didn't mean to and it didn't last but...I think we all had ways of avoiding it. As messed up as it sounds, it didn't matter if he was a drunk. For us it was enough that he'd just abandoned his family. Becca doesn't remember him, which makes it easier sometimes. To know that she won't have to live with my scars. But then she's gotta go through life not having a dad, you know? I do what I can but I'm sixteen. I can't give her everything she needs. With Beth it's...It's different. I'm not replacing anybody. I don't have to try and live up to some standard that some other dude put out there. Because she's mine. She's ours. And I promised myself when you were pregnant that I was going to do better. I had to keep her family together as much as I could. As long as she had an idea of where she came from...As long as she knew we loved her that was enough for me. And I guess...part of me hoped we'd get here," he confessed. "Maybe not with Beth but...you and me. We'd get to this place where we could actually sit in the same room together and not claw at each other's throats. Because...being angry with you...Being angry with you...It sucks. It hurts. I'll fight with you but I can't spend every day of my freaking life hating you. It makes me out to be like him. And I'm not him. I know you don't trust me—"

"You wouldn't have my virginity if I didn't trust you, Noah. I'm a Christian. I was raised to believe in God. I was raised to believe in love. Daddy had a very warped perception of that. But that's all I know. I don't understand how someone can just...give you the things you ask for...the things you don't, and keep giving. Even when they know that they won't be receiving anything at all in return. How can you continue to love me when all I've done is take things from you? How can you even look at me when I've never even dared to see you as my equal?"

"It's the same thing when you see me throwing kids in dumpsters. He hurt you just like mine hurt me. And we do what we have to do to protect them...You did what you did for Beth because you were trying to protect her. You were trying to save face for your parents. When you really look at it, giving Beth to Shelby wasn't about you. It was making sure she had better. And just because it didn't work out, doesn't mean you didn't try," he murmured brushing his mouth across the top of her spine.

"She's been through a trauma..." Quinn whispered. "Because I was selfish. Because I didn't see..."

"I was here almost all the time. I lied a little because I knew it would hurt you to know that I went and did what I did. What happened to Beth is on me. I knew something was off the minute I walked into this house. When she started recognizing faces, I saw it even more. Whenever she cried, Shelby would just let her thinking she'd figure it out and calm herself down. I never let it get that far. The minute she freaked out, I did something about it. It got to the point where she seemed almost robotic. Like Shelby had taught her not to cry. That shit freaked me out. For a couple months, I crashed in one of these rooms and drove myself to school every day so I could...try and reverse the fact that she forced her to go numb. At that point, I didn't care at all about what Shelby thought. After a few weeks...it was like Beth had a switch. Somehow she figured out which one of us would actually listen to her. I don't know what Shelby's deal is but she wasn't ready for this..." Quinn stayed uncharacteristically quiet, unsure about which to let out first; her flood of tears or some kind of response to everything she'd just heard.

"Noah..." she choked. "I...I want you to touch me," she said hoarsely. After the horror she'd just listened to, how her baby knew the difference between the two women made even less sense. Whether it was some kind of instinct that taught her different or her father's obsession with telling her Quinn's whole life story, she would never know. But the decision to give into him had again worked its magic. "Not now but...I want to try..."

"Another baby?" he asked trying to bite back his shock. It took her a minute of consideration before she shook her head. It would make a lot more sense to offer her the comfort she needed if her body was to produce it naturally but they were in no position to go there at all. "Oh. The other thing." Even though it was a stupid question, he had to wonder if there was even the slightest chance. Even if it came years from now. "Yeah okay, we can do that."

"I still don't know what this means...What I'm supposed to do. I'm going to mess this up. Again." As his arms wrapped around her, Quinn had to steel herself while she cupped and pinched at her breasts. Though currently the last of her intentions, she gave into him, neck exposed as she wrapped her lip around his earlobe with her own tug of warning. "I said later," she growled. Placing a light kiss at her throat, he dropped his hands, though his arms remained tightly wrapped around her. Quinn's focus shifted when Beth squirmed in her lap, a long yawn giving way to a soft whine. "Be ready to move your hands..." Finally giving into her own yawn, Quinn remained completely still when their daughter found her breast again, the little girl letting out a musical sigh while she suckled. "There's nothing there, baby," she whispered. Beth hardly seemed bothered by it, fully satisfied with just the mechanics of pretending.

"Mmm...aaah"

"Pretty girl just wants her mom," he whispered. When small fingers crawled up to her chin, Quinn kissed them lightly. "Not that I blame her. She's pretty amazing."

"I already said yes," she muttered. "You don't have to sweet talk your way into it."

"Just stating the facts," he mumbled. When Beth quietly turned away minutes later, she reached around to meet her father's eye. "Hey you, are we ready for some real sleep now? Watching you nap was pretty cool but I think..." he started as he slowly gave into a yawn, small fingers aimed directly for his mouth. Beth offered them a full belly laugh that shook the entirety of her tiny frame. "...after we get something in that tummy, it's time for Mommy and me to try and close our eyes."

"Pretty sure that at this point, sleep isn't even worth it," Quinn mumbled. Catching the light breaking through what remained of the night sky, he shrugged.

"Got nowhere to be. As long as she gets food, we can sleep as long as we want." The blonde closed her eyes, laughing quietly. "For those who don't understand, that's what napping is," he teased.

"Thank you for the insight...I think Daddy should go do it so I can put some feeling back in my arm," she smirked nudging him lightly. Where most would put up even the smallest fight, the support of Puck's sturdy body disappeared rather quickly while he took her at the hips and nudged her forward. "Somehow, I'm not sure that excitement's going to last," she laughed. Repositioning herself against the pillows, she couldn't help but fixate on the two of them, Puck hovering over Beth after tickling her feet, the little girl giggling profusely as she kicked and flailed. Simple as it was, what she was watching wrapped Quinn in the warmest of any human hug. This is what she'd imagined to be an impossible scenario. And in that moment, she'd become a part of it. "If she laughs too hard, that's your fault."

"Nah, she wouldn't do that to me. Beth and I have an understanding. Right?" As if on cue, she seemed to laugh harder. "Why do I get the sinking feeling that's a no?"

"Because Fabrays were born to make you suffer," she joked.

"Fantastic...We'll leave you up here to try and get some shut eye. Back in a minute." After twenty minutes, Beth had effectively rejected every solid food the fridge still had in it. Half surprised she hadn't turned to throwing it on the floor like she'd often done with Shelby, he finally reached some kind of breakthrough when she gladly took a bottle strategically kept tucked in the very back of the fridge. "She scared you that much...?" he whispered, more for himself than to have his question answered. He was barely through the door when he noted Quinn's fallen expression. "She said no to literally everything else..."

"What did she do to you?" Quinn wondered quietly.

"She's never been a great eater. I think my genes failed in that department," he muttered, trying to make light of an otherwise grave realization. "She'd start in the chair a lot of the time but hardly ever stayed in it. That was when she started the solid food thing. Before that, Shelby would only ever sit with her long enough to watch her take a bottle. I wonder if she was surprised when she realized I just sat with her because I wanted to. I know she was pissed but I wasn't going to stop just because Shelby didn't like it. If she really had such a problem with it, she should have been able to do this kind of thing herself." Making her way back over to the king sized bed; he carefully laid her across the sheets, grinning when she glanced between them intently.

"She's lazy," Quinn tried to joke. "That's all your genes." In truth, what she'd seen left her with an unquenchable fear that in an attempt to make her daughter's life better, she'd somehow made it worse.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence..." he muttered.

"That's what I'm here for," she smirked. "We'll fix it though, right?" the blonde offered quietly brushing bits of hair off her forehead. Pressing his fingers gently on her belly, he laughed when she curled into him.

"Is it about that time?" Rolling onto his back, the little girl followed close behind, burrowing herself into what could only be described as her Beth-shaped space. As her breathing evened out, Quinn inched her way over to him, hesitant at first to intrude on their space.

"Mama..." Beth offered sleepily, holding her gaze in an attempt to fight dreams.

"Why do I get the feeling she hasn't slept in days?" Quinn whispered, her chest heavy.

"Or it could be she just likes sleep," he offered. "Either way you're free to join us. I think she wants you to." Finding her own groove in his shoulder, Quinn quietly made herself comfortable, her eyes much heavier than she realized. At this point, where the sun was in the sky didn't mean anything. Sleep was sleep no matter when or how she found it. "Goodnight babe..." After all that he'd just disclosed to her, she couldn't even deny him that anymore. When his head fell in her direction, she lightly traced a small heart at the base of his throat. "Always have..." he mumbled, the feeling of her tracing lingering for moments. What would normally be considered random made all the sense in the world to her now.

"I know..." she murmured.

* * *

Quinn wasn't quite sure where the sun was coming from as she felt it beat down on her face. Blinding probably but she wasn't about to open her eyes just yet and find out. Instead, she found herself rolling even closer to some kind of solid wall, convinced that hiding behind it might make the damn thing disappear. Even stranger still, she's reaching for it, clinging to it in some kind of blind and foreign desperation. Quinn startled when she felt it move, the curtain of her eyes brought up completely. Puck was close enough so that the heat of his breath blew quietly along her cheek. Her eyes widen even further as she finally registers, connecting the dots in ways she's not supposed to. Before she could figure out if freaking out about this is appropriate, she hopped out of bed and shot across the room. Caught between rolling her eyes and allowing herself the smallest of smiles, she watched as his free hand groped the space she'd just vacated. It almost seemed as though he needed her to…No. Quinn shook her head not allowing herself to think like that just yet, if at all.

"Baby, come back," she heard him groan as he reached blindly for the pillow next to him. Quinn was only the slightest bit surprised to still see Beth tightly brought to him. The little girl seemed to serve as some kind of trigger, bringing all that had unfolded hours before back to her. The blonde had to grip her head to keep the tornado of thoughts from screaming over one another. Though he'd offered her antidotes that made her smile, Puck's telling of the horrors sat more permanently. From where she stood, pressed up against the bedroom wall, her baby seemed as though she hadn't moved all night. Quinn of course knew better, her own heavy eyes all the evidence she needed to prove the minimal sleep they'd all gotten.

She bit her tongue to keep from countering his mumbled claim but couldn't bring herself to shatter his illusion just yet. As much as Quinn knew she shouldn't, something's pulled her back into her spot on the bed as she carefully took the pillow from his hold. When he finally released it, her head came to rest on it as she ran a finger along the little girl's cheek, small hands clinging to her father like anything less would make her lose hold of him. Beth remained asleep, a relief to Quinn in more ways than one. This was probably one of the only decent rests she'd gotten in days.

Eyeing Puck's sleepy expression, she could feel her heart pick up speed. She's thrown back into thinking for just a second, allowing herself to decide whether or not this is normal or acceptable. Before she could make proper use of 'yes' and 'no', a shaky finger traced along his defined jaw. She couldn't quite recall ever doing this before but something about his face is so familiar that she can't seem to stop herself. Puck looked so relaxed. Probably the most relaxed she's seen him in a while. She was quick to decide the little girl wrapped tightly around him had something to do with it, almost as if he's finally at peace with how things are. She's reminded once more that this is exactly how things are supposed to be or should have been. She spent a few more seconds in guilt before shaking it off. _What's done is done_ she remembered him telling her a few times. Quinn quickly pulled her hand back as he shuffled again, his eyes opening slightly. Not even seconds later she's greeted by that sleepy smile that puts a hammer in her chest, its presence scaring her a good ten seconds before she finally calmed down enough

"Morning," she whispered.

"Its 'cause I've got a baby, isn't it?" he smirked. Raising a brow in confusion she looks between the two. "The reason you ran off and then came back," he clarified. "It's because I was holding her." Shaking her head she just laughed. He must have still been hazy because even if those were coherent sentences, his reasoning is a little bit off.

"What does Beth have to do with me crawling back into bed?" She waited, resisting the roll of her eyes as she could hear the sarcastic remark coming off of his tongue. To her surprise, there was none. "It's cold," she half lied proving her point by burying herself closer to him and into the blankets. "Cold and lonely," she whispered.

"If that's the story you wanna tell…." He muttered. She wasn't about to tell him how fascinated she'd become with watching him sleep. She didn't _need_ to tell him how pleasantly surprised she was to see him take to fatherhood as effortlessly as she should have as her mother. She'd made sure to say as much to his face before sleep took them. Quinn could only hope that he didn't say anything about the way she'd studied him. Not only was it creepy but she felt it wasn't her place to admit such a thing given their…whatever they had. "I personally think you just couldn't resist all of this," he smirked sleepily before propping on his elbow to wake himself a bit, a smile coming across his lips. Quinn just rolled her eyes smacking him lightly as she did so. "Do that enough times and they're gonna roll right outta your head, Fabray," he chuckled. Puck bit back his next comment as he allowed himself a look into them for a few beats longer than should be allowed. He didn't have to wait long to see them skewed in a proper glare.

"What are you looking at?" she asked pointedly. Puck just shrugged.

"Nothing," he said quickly, turning away before he allowed himself to get lost in her gaze once more.

"Liar," she whispered, a heat crawling up her neck that she tried to hide with little success.

"I like them," he said with an uncharacteristic shyness. Quinn only blushed deeper at his admission sinking further into the bed; almost wishing it could actually swallow her before she could grow even more embarrassed and oddly taken aback by this side of him. She'd seen it only a handful of times before, the feeling of his compliments still somewhat foreign to her. She cleared her throat kicking the sheets back quickly.

"We should probably…get home," she said finally standing as she threw the covers off of him. She startled as he allowed himself a subtle growl, pulling them back over himself and Beth. Biting her lip, she waited a beat as the little girl blinked, a subtle whimper passing her lips as she looked over at Puck, trying to make sense of the noise he'd just made. Quinn half expected her scare but smiled softly as she just took a firmer hold of him. "Did Daddy scare you?" she whispered offering her a cautious run through her short hair. Beth only sighed, repositioning to find sleep once more.

"I didn't do anything," he mumbled. Now that she had a good look at her she realized how right he was the day outside the nursery window. Beth looked almost nothing like him with the exception of her darkened mess of hair. "If it weren't for the hair…" he smiled. Quinn offered him a playful glare as she ran her fingers through it.

"Personality's all you," she said. "I've been here a day and I can already tell that gets exactly what she wants, down to the letter."

"Sounds a lot like you," he countered. She rolled her eyes but chuckled nonetheless. "You wanna try taking her so I can get up?" he offered. Looking between them, Quinn was quick to shake her head.

"What if I...? You know…"

"You're not gonna break her," he laughed. She groaned, the words he stuck in her mouth not exactly the ones she was planning to use.

"I don't think she…likes me," Quinn muttered.

"Quinn, that's BS," he muttered. "You can't feel your boobs right now...Don't tell me that doesn't mean anything." Alright so maybe he had a bit of a point but asking to be fed didn't exactly equal likability. That came more out of necessity than anything else. In only a few days, Beth would come to realize that her efforts weren't getting her what she was looking for, making Quinn's uses less than they already were. Not liking her was only part of it. "I don't wanna scare her," she admitted quietly. Puck carefully rose with the little girl still taken to him. She watched him carefully detach her, keeping contact until Quinn timidly took her. Any and all shreds of confidence she felt yesterday were gone now. As she settled and Puck took his hand away, Quinn's eyes widened just waiting for her reaction to the change of hands. Puck smiled as she offered no complaint. Quinn could only bite her lip waiting for the scream. Instead, she was met with a pair of pleading eyes as the little girl took a spot below her chin and clung to her.

"Mama..." She could feel a natural smile, though small, come across her own face which was quick to meet Puck's knowing eyes; that satisfied smirk at the corner of his mouth.

"Just keep her tight and close." She nodded, her arms instinctively tightening around her. "Well, now that you've got the kid, I guess that's my cue to figure out what we've got to eat in this joint."

"And then we go home," Quinn muttered silently wondering where exactly home was. Spending the night at Puck's house (or what they could of the night before all hell broke loose) was the best few hours of sleep she'd gotten in a while. She had no intention of facing her mother today. She felt even less inclined to do so where Beth was concerned.

"That's the plan," he smiled taking a good long look at Beth. "I just gotta figure out how to tell Mom…"

"The truth?" Quinn suggested.

"Well yeah but she isn't going to be…thrilled," he said finally. "We have to find a way to break it to her without yelling."

"Puck, once you tell her what we saw...show her what we…" Quinn allowed herself to visibly cringe. She was quick to silence herself before saying anything else she knew would upset him as she took a seat at the kitchen table. She saw him grimace as he gave the fridge and its contents a once over.

"Should've stayed…"

"You didn't know," she said carefully.

"Felt it in my gut. You know those things you just…know? You don't quite get where they come from but you just…feel it somewhere in you? It showed up the minute she walked through the door. Shelby was so quick to get us out, so determined to see us go home. Almost like she wanted to be left alone to…"

"Stop. We already talked about instinct. Yours are amazing. Ignoring them once doesn't make you a bad person," she said quietly. Quinn noticed her phrasing moments after they left her mouth. "I ignore mine all the time, it's different," she mumbled. "Do you need to hold her to believe anything I said last night?" Puck shook his head while watching Beth bury her face further in her mother's shoulder. "She's safe because of you. She smiles because the minute you saw something was wrong, you didn't rest until you addressed it. She knows her Daddy loves her because he didn't once forget to come back for her." It wasn't until drool slipped between her cleavage that Quinn remembered she'd done to bed with her tshirt forgotten. There was something about being in his presence that made none of it matter. Skin to skin contact was supposed to be better for Beth anyway, and though he made sure to remind her how much he still wanted her, Puck knew when to keep his distance, doing and saying nothing about what he saw. "Where did they put her last night?"

"The slammer," he said gruffly. "Where she should be." Quinn nodded, a small smile finding a way to her face. The expression fell as Beth shuffled, a whimper turned shrill cry and desperate clawing at her shoulder breaking the semi silence that had fallen over them. Quinn could feel her teeth working their way through her lip as she took note of Beth's shaking frame.

"She…was fine. I didn't…I didn't…." she said quickly, covering her bases on instinct.

"I know," he said slowly. "She'll be okay," he mumbled kissing her forehead. Turning to his daughter, he began quiet patterns across her back. "Shh," he murmured. "Easy Beth. Nice big breaths. It's okay. Mama's got you nice and tight." Breathing her in at her temple, the baby's tiny toes brushed her stomach. The subtly instinctively brought her fingers across the little girl's painted calves. Beth's watery yelp, frozen before she could finish it coated sand in the blonde's mouth, the young woman's legs beginning to come loose beneath her.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," she murmured. "I wish we could kiss it better…" Beth quietly shook while her sobbing echoed against her mother. "They'll be gone soon. I know it hurts..." Puck watched the exchange, his heart throbbing in his throat. Quinn continued to prove herself wrong in so many extraordinary ways. Even if they both knew that fading bruises didn't always follow the same timeline as the fear that went with them, letting herself be that constant for Beth was the one form of proof that only she could give Quinn. Watching the blonde pale, he quickly closed the space between the three of them, taking his place behind her and keeping a firm hand at Quinn's shoulder.

"She can't hurt you anymore," he whispered. In that moment, he wasn't quite sure if he meant that for Beth or Quinn. There was a good chance he meant that as comfort to all of them. Alerted to the sound of Puck's voice, Quinn could feel the baby's body weight shift in an attempt to break free of her hold. "Don't hurt yourself," he chuckled, pulling her toward him, her back pressed against his chest. The little girl simply curled into him further, fist firmly kept in her mouth as she slowly released her mother. Guiding her carefully to the kitchen table, he made sure Quinn was relatively steady before he turned to a virtually empty fridge, at least when it concerned Beth and her food preferences. "You wanna go sit while I get you something to eat? I would say a waffle's a great start but something tells me we're not there yet. One day though. Those things are like heaven."

"Second to bacon," the blonde countered softly, the smallest of voices used to make sure it didn't crack as she let Beth settle into her lap, the baby letting loose a quiet mewl when Puck had his back turned to her once more. Beth attempted to struggle free from Quinn's hold on her while she grunted relentlessly for Puck to come back.

"She's right there, baby girl. It's all good." Pivoting her so that Beth came face to face with her chest, she allowed her to nuzzle gently along her skin, tiny limbs finally coming to rest when she seemed to recognize the smell of her.

"Mmm..." she hummed running her small tongue along her chest. "Mama..."

"That's right, honey," Quinn whispered, wide brown eyes turning up to face the owner of the arms that held her, just to be sure. Quinn could feel her heart plummet for just a second as the little girl seemed to calm instantly, falling face first into her warmth. She shouldn't have to question her safety. But considering all the wrong that she hadn't seen, she knew there were questions still unanswered. She couldn't do a single thing but be angry, a flame of guilt surfacing at the sight of them. Her daughter's gaze shouldn't be this haunted, not even for a second. _Exactly what I was afraid of_ she thought, quick to keep her face blank before Puck had a chance to look over and ask questions. She only watched the time on the microwave come to zero, drawing mindless patterns along Beth's soft skin to keep busy hands.

"Waffles," he shot back.

"Shouldn't we let her decide?" Quinn chuckled, though it lacked the natural normalcy it should have had. Puck offered a curt nod brushing along his daughter's back while she offered Quinn the warmed bottle. "When she's back on real food, she might choose something completely different. Like pancakes," she mumbled trying hard to keep her tone light.

"First up, waffles. Food of the gods." Quinn couldn't keep from rolling her eyes, a light laugh escaping her. She was surprised at just how light she felt despite the weight of last night's events. There was something about Puck that eased her in almost every way. Not quite able to put a finger to it was something new for her. Usually, everything she ever said or did had a decent, well thought out reason. Noah Puckerman was somewhat of a mystery to her, even now. Beth's small world had fallen to pieces. Who knew how long it would take her to find any sense of normal. With him at least she knew she wouldn't be facing the unknown alone. She took in the edge of a small piece of paper, Rachel's perfect script sprawled out across it.

"Didn't even hear her leave this morning," she muttered. "Maybe I could get her to…" She let her thought fall off as she read the note carefully.

 _Good morning!_

 _I'm off to get some practice in before another full day. I heard back from a couple of the calls I made last night. They need at least a day to review your case and outline a plan of action. Enjoy your day._

 _Rachel_

At the bottom was her signature gold star at which Quinn couldn't help letting out a subtle roll of her eyes.

"Who?"

"Rachel. I'm usually a really light sleeper…"

"When you sleep," he pointed out. "We saw the sunrise before we got to do any of that."

"Oh," she whispered, for a moment forgetting all of the secrets they shared under the blanket of darkness. "I hope we didn't keep her up. And...you're right. The nap was nice."

"We told you so," he smirked. "Feels good, doesn't it?" Before Quinn could give him any answer, she saw Puck nod out of the corner of her eye and smiled a bit. She couldn't remember getting such a decent sleep since…"Haven't had one of those in…Well…"

"Since moving out," he provided; the smallest of smirks on his lips. "I could tell."

"I never…"

"You called me every night, Fabray. Do you not remember?" She shook her head slowly noticing the hint of disappointment in his eyes as she agreed that she didn't. It seemed she made a point to erase everything that had anything to do with Puck after that day in the hospital. Not that she wanted to. It was more along the lines of needing to in order to…function. She had to forget in order to figure out what anything was like before Puck had….She shook her head to clear the thought. All she seemed able to recall were the calls in which _she_ was the one to need him. The first six months were nowhere near as needed as the days leading up to yesterday. Not once did she remember returning the favour. Selfish. Everything she'd ever done in regards to him was selfish. Some of it blind, some of it intentional but selfish all the same.

"I…I'm sorry," she whispered. "I guess I…"

"It's fine," he said, the incident quickly forgotten. Even so, it didn't make her feel any less guilty. "Just hearing you talk helped me." Taking the seat beside them, Puck watched while Beth ate methodically, her eyes never leaving Quinn's face.

"I don't think I've seen her blink yet..."

"Yeah, she's real good at staring contests. We've been practicing," he joked.

"Puck..."

"Sorry," he mumbled running a finger along the length of one of her feet, letting it beat across his hand. "I think it'll take her a bit. Pretty sure she still feels like Shelby might come banging through the door again."

"I know. I just hope I'm helping."

"You are," he whispered. "In ways that I never could. She needs you just as much as she needs me. Just 'cause I've been here doesn't make you any less important to helping her trust."

"You say that but...What if this is forever? She's going to be scared of me until she remembers every single—"

"Q, when she went cold, it took me a couple months. This might take a little bit more than that to get her through this stuff but all she needs to know is that it's you and me. We won't let anything happen to her again. Once she realizes that, she's not going to need a minute to remember. She'll just know."

"She'll just know, huh?" She intended for it to come out as a bit of a tease but there was something about how he reasoned that made it almost unrealistic.

"She's sixteen months old, babe. Not sixteen. Yeah, a lot has happened to her. But not enough that we can't fix it. You have to believe that. Look at how happy she is," he mumbled, watching the small smile form when she found Quinn's beating heart.

"Mmm," she crooned bringing her fingers to her mouth.

"I think she found her spot," he grinned.

"Her Beth-shaped space," she nodded. "They're kind of in the same place," she observed.

"Kind of figured they would be," he said softly. "Blood flow's pretty calming," he chuckled. In reality, he liked to believe that the little girl was gauging their honesty through the way their hearts sounded, as though, her real parents held a very particular sound.

"Home…" Quinn muttered to herself almost as if trying to figure out where that was for herself. Puck could see her contemplating and offered her a small smile.

"Home," he nodded. "She's smart. Somewhere in there she knows where that is. Who that is. I think part of her might just be afraid to lose that."

"No," she almost barked, though it fell flat when the words caught in her throat. "I'm not letting go again. I won't. I promise I won't," she whispered, the words mumbled against her downy hair.

"I know." As simple as the words were, they were all he knew to say. He did know. He knew more of what the blonde was capable than she dared admit. He knew the minute she set foot in this house and laid eyes on her that very little if anything could shake the little confidence she had concerning their daughter. "Are we ready to go see Nana?" he whispered, almost dreading the explanation he would have to give his mother.

"I…don't know if..." Puck looked at her with a hint of a laugh in his gaze. Even though it took her a while to warm up to the idea of the two of them sharing a bed, Ava thought more highly of Quinn than she did her own son. "I mean I'd love to but I...What's she going to say when we have to tell her that I let Shelby hurt our baby? I...I already know I'm a terrible mother..."

"Quinn...Terrible would be letting what we found out keep happening. Is it still happening?"

"No but I..."

"Then I don't see the problem. You did what any mother would do. You slapped the bitch who hurt your daughter and made sure it wasn't allowed to keep going. You're gonna bond over that shit. And once Ma sees this face, I don't even think she'll question anything else," he mumbled massaging Beth's belly with his thumb. Her tiny tight limbs uncurled, a happy sigh falling from her lips.

"You like it when Daddy touches?" Quinn murmured.

"Da..." she whined happily, meeting his gaze directly while she kept herself at the pillow of her mother's breast.

"Nice and soft..." Quinn muttered. "There's no better place than your daddy's arms..." she whispered, more for herself than the conversation it was meant for.

"Right now, I'm pretty sure she has a slightly different opinion," he said softly. "I'd take this option myself. But that's...personal opinion."

"Real subtle, Puckerman," Quinn grumbled rolling her eyes.

"I've never been subtle, Fabray. You know that better than anybody."

"Ava must be so proud..." she muttered.

"I don't know if proud's the right word but she still calls me her son." Puck watched her go stiff while the collection of words left his mouth. Only a second later, he realized what he'd done, taking her hand in his and squeezing gently. "It took her a little bit but she still calls you the daughter she never had," he murmured. "You will always have somewhere to go, Quinn I promise you that. It doesn't have to be living with Mom. We can...find our own place or something if that makes you more comfortable. It's up to you but I think it'd be nice if you at least stopped by. Mom's been dying to see you. The house is kinda…quiet. I'm not sure but I think she misses the fighting," he smirked.

"Doubt it. I still feel bad for shattering her favourite vase..."

"That's nothing. She's got a thousand favourite vases. As long as you don't touch the one that her mom gave her, throw all the vases you want. She has that one framed anyway. I doubt you can break the thing fast enough to throw it at my head." As much as she wanted to believe all of those things he relayed about Ava, a part of her knew that even the smallest hint of resentment still existed.

"I'm not your 'nice Jewish girl'."

"Quinn when she realized the only Jewish anything McKinley has to offer is either Jacob Israel or the hobbit..."

"Do we have to keep calling her that?"

"Yes... My point is, she misses you. Asked me all week when you were gonna stop by. Not exactly sure why. I think she figured you might have a birthday present for me or something," he smirked.

"My birthday present to you was supposed to be my silence," she mumbled, having told herself that she wasn't going to cause him any undue stress with all her whining for at least one night.

"That woulda made me worry and it would've ruined my whole day," he corrected. "I like listening to you bitch and whine."

"Where the hell are your standards?" she muttered.

"Don't have 'em. I already got all I need right here."

"You actually _told_ her that. Jesus..."

"I don't think I have to. Ma's creepy smart. Might be all the medical crap shoved in her head but..."

"She _knows_ about us? God Puck..."

"Quinn, the only people who ever call me are you, her, and Becca. Finn just kicks down my front door. When there's just one number between the hours of 11 and 4am, something's going to click. It kind of helps that she has your number programmed in her phone..."

"She _what?_ "

"I gave you hers as a 9-1-1 for when I was stuck at the shop, remember?"

"Oh..." she whispered dumbly. All of these small little details she'd so conveniently blocked out where coming together to paint an embarrassing clear picture.

"I think you've called her 'Mom' a couple times...I still have that scar in the back of my head from when she threw a pen at me for making you cry..."

"I cried to your mother about _you_? Why can't I remember any of this?"

"Mhm...I would say it was mostly hormones but then you're gonna kick me..."

"Now there's no way I can even show my face in that house again...I've been downright pathetic."

"Sweetheart, you've been pregnant," he whispered. Quinn's head almost snapped when the term of endearment fell out of his mouth. She'd seen him use it around Beth countless times. When she let him, he'd even let it slip in reference to his sister. Up until this moment, she never thought he'd shape it for her. "And I'm not stupid enough to say I've never been a dumbass.

"I don't want to take advantage of your mother..."

"I think she'd find it an insult if you didn't. She may have wrapped her head around being a grandma at 40 but I'm not sure she's totally okay with the split custody thing. I mean, we'll do it that way if that's what you want but..."

"No," she said almost instantly. "Look at what that did to us," she whispered.

"Well my old man left but—"

"So did mine. It's basically the same idea. Still hurts. I don't want her to hurt anymore. I don't care if she won't remember anything different. When she's older, she's going to see all of her friends and their parents...together and...I don't know. She's going to have questions." If he didn't already know better, he would say that Quinn just found a roundabout way of suggesting they got married or something.

"Is she finally gonna stop pestering me or what? Cause the way this is sounding, I gotta call her and tell her to put out an extra plate for dinner." Quinn offered a small smile warming a bit at the thought of being so welcomed in a home she once thought she'd tainted just by setting foot in it. Strange though it was that the missing came from a woman who didn't particularly like her at first, the idea was nice. At least she was missed somewhere.

"Can we…stop by my place?" she asked quietly. "I have a couple things to take care of before I leave."

"Leave?" he asked in question. She only nodded, grimacing at the mental picture of her mom yet again passed out on the couch. She highly doubted she was missed there; her mom's only focus being the search for the bottom of another bottle of wine. She cleared her throat with a light shake of her head.

"Together right?" she asked in the quietest of whispers. "That's the only way this is going to…"

"If that's what you want," he said bouncing a bit on the inside. "We could figure something out if you don't. I wouldn't keep her from you." Even if it was offhand and in a completely different frame of mind the comment still stabbed her a bit, a subtle reminder of what got them here in the first place.

"Can't do it anymore…" she finally admitted."I don't think she'll even…miss me," she whispered, the thought bringing a catch to her throat, even though it really shouldn't have. "Literally all she cares about anymore. I'm…scared for her," she said softly but I can't help her if she doesn't wanna be helped." It was when she met his gaze that she knew her answer, even before she spoke it. "That's not home anymore. Hasn't been for a while, if ever. That's not…not the environment I want her in…"

"It's the one she wants," he said slowly.

"Not Mom," she muttered nodding over to the small body pressed between them.

"If that's what you want, Quinn. Open invitation." She couldn't help but appreciate the fact that he didn't make it sound like they'd been having this conversation for the last twenty minutes, just going in circles while Quinn came to a conclusion that should have been found well over a year ago.

"It's what I want," she said with a final nod of her head. "Take me home," she whispered; her voice small like that of pleading child. "Please." As it often did when she took on this tone, Puck's heart sat low in his chest when she finally dared to ask for help. He knew how hard it was for her and couldn't be prouder of her than he already was when she allowed herself that.

"What are we stopping at the house for?"

"I need to…at least try and tell her." Puck offered a nod and light squeeze to her shoulder. "Alright girls. We leave in 20. Then we get to tell Nana about her present," he grinned poking Beth's nose with the biggest smile on his face. Quinn couldn't remember ever seeing it so big before. It lit Puck up entirely. Then again, she hadn't exactly seen this side of him either. The side that seemed to work by the power of a light switch wherever Beth was concerned. When he pressed a kiss to her forehead and let it linger, she could feel her eyes mist over.

"I guess I should start packing her up," she said, not at all surprised at how quickly he accepted the exchange. When the little girl readjusted to her surroundings, Puck only nodded, not quite believing what had just happened. When he thought she was out of earshot, he turned to Beth.

"Well, isn't this my lucky day? Both my girls are coming home with me," he said, the sheer joy of it all unmistakable in the way he spoke to her. Only halfway up the stairs, Quinn had to strain to hear him, her eyes brimming with tears as he heard the hushed comment shared with Beth. Even after all this time he still held out some kind of hope for them, still believed. Quinn only wished she was that determined. If the last twenty four hours hand proved anything, she wasn't so sure he was far from getting what he wanted.

It didn't take much to see just how much he wanted this, how much the role of a father seemed to suit him so nicely. The tears came down harder as she remembered what had happened after they left. Puck didn't take her home even though that would have been the obvious choice. He took her all the way over to his house. He laid her in his bed. More than that, she woke several times to find herself folded neatly in his arms, his fingers unconsciously running over her abdomen. Part of her had to wonder if he had any idea what he'd done. Other parts realized that it might not even matter. He still had a way of making her feel impossibly safe.

Considering that outcome alone, if the opportunity was placed in front of them, she would be an idiot to walk away from it a second time. Maybe he saw something that she still wasn't entirely aware of, something about the unspoken that she wasn't even trying for. He deserved this much. If it gave Beth the stability she'd always hoped for, she wasn't going to deny the offer.

Quinn would be lying if she said her time at the Puckerman house wasn't enjoyable. Honestly, it may have been the first time she ever truly felt welcome anywhere. Over the past few months he'd proven to be just as good a protector, though she claimed she didn't need it. The fact was that she didn't deserve it. Not after what she'd done. Hurrying up the stairs before she could bring herself to tears that would get her caught for listening in, she gathered all of Beth's necessities and hurried to meet them.

* * *

She froze as the truck pulled into her driveway, swallowing hard as she messed with the hem of his tshirt. How many times it had been worn had become irrelevant. There were parts of it that still smelled like him. His lingering presence would give her the courage she needed to set foot in that house. When Judy's voice found its way into the back of her head, Quinn whimpered, gripping his hand across the console. Was doing this really necessary? Would her absence even be noticed if she just told him to continue driving?

"I can come back and get everything for you," he whispered. There was no question that this would be near impossible for her. He'd known Quinn to have more guts than anyone. When it came to her parents, she quite literally shrank right in front of him. "Honey, you don't have to do this," he murmured. "Let me take you home. Mom can make you some soup and get you to relax."

"She has to know..." Quinn whispered, even while knowing that Judy could honestly care less. As much as she wanted to get it out, the idea of confronting her mom, coming out with the truth was feeding at her, her stomach twisting harshly at the idea. As they came to a stop she took hold of the door handle, knuckles going white. She eyed him suspiciously when the master lock sounded, the passenger side door now child proofed. _How appropriate_ she thought.

"Look at me." She hadn't realized how cold her hands were until Puck had taken them, the contrast of his heat almost a form of shell shock. "No matter what you hear in there, I love you, you got that?" Swallowing hard, the blonde nodded, a cry that lingered sounding at the base of her throat.

"Can you hold me after?" she whispered. Puck bit his lip. It had been months since she'd asked him that. "Hold tight and not let go?" He quietly nodded, carefully draping his letterman over her shoulders. "You love me, right? No matter what?" Again, he nodded, hating this idea with every passing second. If she was already slipping, it was going to take every bit of her strength to throw her head back into the game to confront Judy.

"You sure you wanna do this?" he asked quietly. She nodded despite herself taking a deep breath, letting it travel her entire body before she opened the door just barely. "You want me to come with—?"

"No," she said sharply. "Someone has to stay," she said nodding to the backseat.

"We'll wait right here." She nodded again before slowly making her way up the walk. Hands clasped together, she slowly opened the door, the sharp scent of alcohol filling her senses. She made quick work of packing up everything she could carry out before making her way downstairs. She didn't have it in her to be in there longer than necessary. Staying would only make her angry. Quinn quickly swiped up the lamb that sat perched against her pillows hugging it close, clinging to it almost as desperately as Beth had to Puck. Inhaling quietly she let it settle under her nose as quiet tears came down her face. She knew Judy had no idea, didn't care that her actions had brought her this far but Quinn was past feeling trapped, left to wander like a ghost. Finally getting to the bottom of the stairs, brushing her tears along the way, she turned to face her, bags already left standing at the door.

"Mommy?" she whispered shaking her sleeping form lightly. She was still fighting to suppress her fear but her mother would never be able to tell the difference. After a few minutes, the woman startled, a sharp snarl leaving her lips at being disturbed. "Sorry to wake you," she said, thanking whoever it was that returned her even tone of voice. "Just thought I'd let you know that I'm…leaving," she muttered, the final word catching in her throat. The surprise in her mother's face was evident, mouth wide open in some kind of counterattack but Quinn pressed on. "I can't do this anymore….All you ever do is…this," she whispered indicating to the stack of forgotten bottles. "Mother's Day…. We used to have...breakfast together and...buy lunch in the late afternoon. We used to watch movies until it was too dark to see outside. That was the only day you let me eat before bed...I've been gone for two days...You didn't even notice I left, did you?" Judy just stared at her blankly taking another swig as she clutched the neck of the bottle between her fingers. The quiet blonde was quick to take it away. "Five minutes," she pleaded. "Give me five minutes and then you can do whatever the fuck you want," she said softly. "Didn't even care that I left….Never care. It's all about the drinks. All about how long it'll be before you're next swig, your next bottle. I came back to…give you a chance, a chance at being my mom…." Quinn could feel tears gathering but did nothing to stop them. "And you can't even give me that…."

Whatever he did to you…It's nothing…nothing compared to…us. You've destroyed us, Mommy. I…I can't do this anymore. I have a child. I don't…I can't sit here raising another. I've cleaned up after you, made excuses for you. And I'm so tired... I'm so tired of bending over backwards for you. I used to think that after a while, you might love me again. But It's been sixteen years...Sixteen years of the same damn shit!" she growled, no longer afraid of the tears that ran down her face. The sting that followed when Judy saw them was nothing compared to the hole her mother had left. It took her a full two minutes to cradle the growing welt, out of tears to express how much it hurt.

"You know better..." Judy growled, her mouth stuffed with cotton. "If you think that hurts, just wait for your father to get home."

"He's gone, Mama. He's been gone a long time. You're just too damn drunk to remember that he left you for a whore," she whispered. No matter how quietly she spoke the words, the older woman still left the skeleton of her hand across her skin in its wake. At this point, letting herself feel _anything_ was going to leave her more broken and mangled than when she first set foot in this room. If she didn't make it out of here soon, Puck would think that something had happened. He would find her, bruised and bloodied in her own living room. But he would find her. He always found her. No matter what.

"You...really...thin...tha...anyyyone gonna love you like I do Youuuu reallyyy thin...they gonna car?"

"He does," she whispered. "Noah does," she whimpered turning just in time for her mother's slowed reflexes to reach her arm rather than her face.

"S'a lie...The boy don't give a damn 'bout you. He made you give him your...And that little bastard baby of his..."

"Noah didn't _make_ me do anything," she growled. "I let him. I let him 'cause he loves me! He may be just some boy to you but he's my baby's daddy. Noah is ten times the father that Daddy ever was...At least a hundred times the husband that Russell ever was to you..."

"Gonna go off and marry 'im now too? Spreading your legs for him wasn't enough?"

"Maybe...You know, maybe one day I will. I'll make sure we pick a day you'll be too drunk to remember ever seeing me happy..." she whispered. "Right now I have to go. My family is waiting for me..."

"Where the hell are you gonna go?" Judy slurred.

"Home."

"S'is home…"

"I wish it was," she said quietly, the wish digging down deep into her. A wish she knew would never really come true. "This isn't home anymore. Not since Daddy left and you know it. You know how I know? You let it go to shit. We had about three months of normal before you turned to the bottle. After that…After that it was never the same. I can't keep up…I can't compete with booze and not gonna try. To some people, their daughter comes first. She's a priority over anything else in this world. You strive to want the very best for her….I…I guess you start naming them now. Mom, this….this toxin? That's your Quinn. That's the Quinn you want, then that's the Quinn you get. I'm done fighting this. I'm done being a ghost in my own home. I love my mom. I'll always love her no matter how….But this? This isn't her. I've looked for months and months and still she hasn't shown. I'm so tired. I'm so tired of you choosing this…." Quinn said angrily shoving the first available bottle at the wall. "….over me! I'm sick and fucking tired of being nothing to you!" Quinn hissed as a piece of shattered glass came across her skin, blood trickling quietly onto the carpet. She would have cleaned it up but decided against it. The house was already piled high with trash, its walls silent witnesses to the mess it had really become.

"The only home you have!" Judy laughed. Quinn could shake her head.

"You wanna know where I was last night? I went to see Beth. Puck took me to see my baby, helped me remember that…birthdays aren't all about expensive breakfasts or spa days or…dinners. It's about who you're with. Who you're willing to actually remember you have rather than the things you don't. You're not the only one who lost Dad. The day he walked out on you, he walked out on me. In fact, I lost him long before you did so don't go giving me excuses about how hurt and broken you are. The wine seems to be putting you together really nicely. I be damned if I do that to Beth. I still have Beth and I'm not about to lose her by trapping myself in pain and misery for the rest of my life. I may have lost everything I ever cared about, ever loved but at least I still have her. The one thing I've ever done right in my life. Beth. Beth and Puck. They're my family now. They are my priority. So go ahead, Judy. Drown your sorrows, swim in your pain. I won't be around to stop you."

With that, she gathered her bags pressing her bleeding hand against the shirt, hoping he wouldn't mind that it was splattered with blood, and closed the door firmly behind her. She stood there for a minute considering all she was really leaving behind. The guilt that flooded her not hours before was suddenly washed over with a sense of relief. Turning to face the truck, she sighed, every muscle in her body loosening for what felt like the first time in her life. Puck met her at the passenger side door hoisting up what she'd packed before noticing the crimson red dripping from her hand.

"There's blood," she mumbled brushing quickly at her moistened eyes.

"Are you….?"

"Uh uh..." _Shit..._

"C'mere," he whispered. Helping her into the cab, he quickly made his way through her neighbourhoood before pulling onto the side of the road.

"She hit me..." Quinn watched his face harden for no more than a second before he softened again. She barely heard him release her seatbelt before crawling over into his lap, his arms coming around her before she even had to ask for them. "She doesn't like it when I cry...She said that he was gonna make it hurt even more when he got there. But he's not coming. He's gone..." she said, her voice somehow even smaller. "Mama did it three times...I turned my face at the end. But now my arm hurts..." Finally able to take in the damage, Puck could feel his insides coiling with anger.

"Lemme see," he murmured, settling her chin on the fold of his index finger to examine both sides. "Mama will fix it, okay?" he promised, his voice faltering in several places as he tightened his arm around her.

"No! Gonna make it worse..."

"Ava sweetheart. Ava will fix it," he clarified.

"Oh..." she whispered, even while Puck noticed the quiet panic make its way to her eyes. "But I want you...I want you to fix it. Please?"

"She's not going to hurt you, baby. I promise. I'll be there to make sure," he mumbled, even while knowing that his mother wouldn't even... _consider_...

"Will you hold me?" Again he nodded. "She won't be mad if I cry? 'Cause it really hurts..."

"I know..."

"Home now?"

"Yes. Go put your seatbelt back on, okay?" Nodding slowly, she curled back up in the passenger seat, taking hold of his hand until he was pretty sure it had gone numb. Puck found himself inspecting the cut for himself before offering her a spare t-shirt from the backseat, pressing it gently to the open wound.

"Press hard so the bleeding stops." Quinn nodded, hesitantly taking her hand back, though not before he kissed her split palm. "Better?"

"A little," she nodded. When the car finally picked up speed again, she quietly turned to him. "You're a really good daddy," she mumbled.

Quinn's not even sure exactly how much time has lapsed since they pulled out of her driveway. The perfect castle structure she once called home standing tall as it grows smaller and smaller behind them. Looking back on it now, she wonders just how many secrets these four walls kept over the years. Though she was only six, Quinn was quick to figure out that her family was far from normal. The constant fighting, the first threatened divorce after her dad came home from a week long "business trip". It wasn't until she was ten that she finally saw it with her own two eyes.

* * *

 _With the moon shining through her window, the milky white quivering across the calm quiet lake behind her home, the shattering of glass ripped her from sleep. Quinn pulls the blankets in closer to her shaking body, the long line of small pageant trophies bouncing on her dresser, their fear, her fear protected by the shadows of night._

" _Not again," she whispers. She's not sure how much time has passed since the yelling started or just how long they've been going at it while she was still asleep. All she knows is that it never ends well. She's asked herself a dozen times why they just can't be happy, why Daddy needs to break things or drink to be happy. The most recent question she had, the most pressing, was who that tall lady always dressed in tight black suits was. She looked nice enough. She'd even played dolls with her a couple of times. But she wasn't her mom. Quinn didn't even know her name. Maybe she'd shared it once or twice but Quinn didn't care to remember._

 _As she quietly slid out of bed, the little girl could feel herself trembling even more. She wondered if it was more from the sudden chill or the all too familiar fear. She quickly decides it's a mix of the two. Making sure to stay quiet enough to go unheard, she takes the stairs one at a time, gripping to the banister so tight she can see her knuckles turning white, her mother's shrill, almost sickening laugh echoing through the three story home._

" _WHAT DOES SHE HAVE THAT I DON'T HAVE?" Judy bellows. "I mean, besides the obvious. More money? Nicer hair? Better in bed? What? What does this little bitch say to you every single time you don't come home from work? What kind of sick promises does she make you that make it so hard for you to come home to your FAMILY?" As many times as she's seen this, Quinn still can't take her eyes off the scene playing out in front of her. "Spit it out, Russell," she hears her mom swallow over what she knew to be a swig of alcohol. "How much is that little tramp paying you to fuck?"_

" _Not near enough," her father said gruffly. He muttered it so quietly Quinn had to strain to hear. She had no idea what half of those words meant. All she knew was they were bad. Really bad. Swallowing a growing lump in her throat she can't fight the quiet tears pouring down her face. She suddenly hated that mysterious woman. At only ten, even if she can't quite piece it all together, she knows the woman has a hand in making everyone she cares about hurt._

 _Fighting the urge to scream she sees the bottle Judy has in a death grip at the neck fly across the room, red wine staining the pristine white walls. Instead, the tears came faster, stronger while she somehow managed to contain the scream that's begging release. At only ten, Quinn Fabray knows it was only a matter of time before her fairytale is torn to shreds._

* * *

Quinn can't help but hiss as a light pressure to her wrapped cut was applied, fully aware that of all people, Puck would never intentionally hurt her. The drive from her house to wherever it was they were going now is still a solid blur of passing cars and buildings, her memory of their travel completely blank. All accept for when he stopped. She remembered better than anything the warmth of his body when he held her close, whispering every comfort she needed as she cried quietly. If she accented it with a telling of what had brought her here, she couldn't remember. If all she did was cry, he had more love and patience than Quinn had ever given him proper credit for. Feeling salt settle on her tongue as she bites down on it, she hasn't even realized she'd been crying until she hears Puck mumble quietly. She's still too far out to make coherency of it but she can see his lips forming all too familiar words. With a slow nod she quietly pulls away from the safety of his hold, words still not shapeable as she sees the blood of her childhood slip down the wall.

"Quinn…" Puck can see her eyes glazed over, her vision directed up front. He knows almost immediately where her head has gone and that those eyes might as well be blind to the road ahead. Only a pinch of hurt flies through him as she pulls away from him, growing slowly as she throws off her seatbelt curling into fetal. Wide eyed, he quickly pulls over away from oncoming traffic once more. Daring to take a hold of her shoulder, he makes sure that Beth is still asleep in the backseat or at least calm before directing his focus to her. It takes only a second for her to throw his hand off, shrinking back even further. Satisfied for the moment that Beth has not been disturbed by any of this (yet), he cuts the engine. For a moment he only watches, Quinn seeming to grow smaller and smaller into her seat.

* * *

 _She barely ambles back into bed before large footsteps are heard. The shadow of a giant hovers for no more than a second but she can still feel herself shaking. He'll throw the blanket off again, just to see if she's asleep or come in, rummage around and walk back out. Tonight she hopes for the latter, her pillow soaked and cheeks raw with fresh tears. Almost as if on cue, the lights are flipped burning her already tender eyes. Quinn tries to brush off an excessive evidence of crying but the red in her eyes and pale cheeks she knows will give her away in only seconds._

" _How old are you now, sweetheart?"_

" _T-ten D-daddy," she stammers. Almost as quickly as it slips from her lips, Quinn regrets speaking, even though she knows that if she kept silent it would just be worse. The white of his eyes are almost drowning the icy blue of his irises. The answer she provided only seems to make him angrier, an undeniable pressure brought to her fragile wrist._

" _That's right," he whispers, his lips quirking in a way that makes the little girl shiver. "And what does that mean?"_

" _That I-I'm a big girl n-now…" she whispered, the tone in her father's voice making her choke on tears she dare not let slip. She tries to reason that he was only like this after he'd had a drink or two. It was true. The poison did something to him, took him away. Drinking makes him a monster. The difference is that it's a habit, a daily occurrence that's made her stop asking where her daddy really is. He certainly isn't this monster, overtaken by these poisons._

" _That's right. And what do big girls never do?"_

" _Cry," she whispers meekly, the pressure in his grasp letting off a quiet snap. She'd have to sneak into the nurse's office and wrap it in the morning. Watching her hand fall limp in her lap, Russell trudges back out, lights plunging her into darkness once more, the sudden slam of her door making her squeak as she startles._

* * *

Puck watches her take her hand cradling it carefully with the other, her elbow fighting to open the car door. The struggle lasted for a minute before he gently took her hand, a shrill cry bubbling to her lips.

"Quinn…Quinn," he said a bit louder this time, the shock evident in her widened eyes.

"I'll be good…" she mutters."I promise I'll be…Please don't...Big girl…"

"Q, it's me," Puck offers in a whisper, the last part of her plea making him wonder just where exactly she is in that pretty head of hers. Watching her release her hand, he sees it fall completely limp, his brow knit in curiosity. "It's Puck," he murmured.

 _Little fucker._

Before he can get another word out, Quinn has bolted, the rain coming down in sudden sheets as she runs far ahead of the truck. A quick glance into the rear view mirror reminds him he can't just up and run anymore. Gunning the engine, he makes sure to stay hot on her tail, watching her figure become a shadow behind the curtains of ice.

Quinn doesn't even know where exactly she's headed. All she knows is she had to get away. She has to stop being such a blaring disappointment. Her dad had told her never to cry. Bite her tongue until it bled but never was she allowed to cry. Crying was weakness. Crying was for the ugly. Quinn Fabray is a princess. The prettiest of all princesses. Daddy told her that there were times she even made Sleeping Beauty look like second best. A few years ago, she would have smiled at the thought. Now the idea just brings more tears. The faster they fall, the harder she runs, her heart racing, breath coming in shallow spurts as the rain soaks her. She not sure how long she'd been running for but there's a car hot on her tail. _Daddy's come back for more. He always comes back_. If it's at all possible Quinn finds herself running so fast she's almost taken flight, her feet knotting under her as she counts the seconds to her face meeting the pavement. The crash is in perfect sync with a crash she hears overhead. The scream she lets out is so shallow she wonders if she's being heard at all. It's raining too hard for anyone to save her. They won't even know she's gone. They never know she's gone.

It doesn't take her long to realize she's bleeding. How deep the cut has gone she isn't sure but there's more salt. _He's coming…He always comes…_ Gathering enough strength, she drags herself a bit further, as far away from the lights as possible. She knows it won't be far but it's better than staying in one and letting him treat her like a punching bag. Again. There's a second crack of thunder as she starts to collect herself. Before she's even upright, she falls back on her haunches, a dark crimson meeting her eyes. Brushing the all too familiar salt-rain combination from her face, a shade of pink has coated her fingers. The awareness brings a sting to her face. She's bleeding. There's blood and it's the stab of a thousand knives. A third crack shatters her entirely; moisture she knows isn't rain soaking her further. Whether its of sheer embarrassment or the realization that there's a good chance she'll freeze out here, what began as a whimper escalates to a steady sob. She's gone and made a mess of herself in more ways than one. She's bleeding and dirty and... _oh god_...It's dripping down her shaking legs. The fact that she's practically shivering leaves her even less will to stop it, the warmth a perfect end to her disgrace.

"I'm sorry…" she chokes, the lights finally coming to a stop revealing a tall figure. He's coming closer and she can't help but slide back on the sidewalk to put that much more of a distance between them. "Big girl…Big girl." The figure nods, a small smile coming to his lips. "It was...It was a mistake. I didn't...Please don't hurt me...I got scared..."

"I know," he says more gently. He can't even begin to count the number of things wrong with what he sees. The blame isn't on Quinn but whatever it was that triggered her to something so small she couldn't even prop herself up.

"I'm sorry," she whispers once more. Once he finds out what she's done Quinn knows she's in for it. Big girls don't have accidents. Big girls aren't supposed to wet themselves. Being scared is no excuse. "Please no…I'll do better, Daddy…"

"Quinn?" Puck says only loudly enough to be heard over the sheets of rain. Puck is careful not to touch her too much but if he's going to get her attention he has to pull her out somehow. "Quinn, it's okay. It's Puck. Just Puck." Quinn can feel herself fighting his hold but one bad arm makes it inevitable that she's not going to be very successful. "Just me," he murmurs keeping a firm but gentle hold on her good arm.

"I'll be good…"

"I know," he repeats tenderly. He has no idea where she's gone off to but she's more checked out than he's ever seen her. The best he can do for the moment is play along until she's out. Averting his eyes quickly Puck makes sure that Beth is still securely in the backseat, the only evidence he has being her small head of dark hair that he can just make out through the window. He's not sure if it's a brush of luck but the fact that his daughter hasn't woken yet is some kind miracle. It's a miracle he's grateful for seeing as he can't exactly offer enough attention to more than just one person at the moment.

"Don't be mad…"

"I'm not mad," he says softly. He notices Quinn shake her head and urges to ask her why but she carries on.

"I…"

"You what?" he coaxes quietly.

"…was an accident." Puck wordlessly nods pulling her carefully toward him. The rain has made his smell all the more potent and Quinn suddenly realizes whose arms are really wrapped around her. It may have helped that they were worlds gentler than her father had ever been but for a while she was too far gone to notice anything other than the rain, its thunder and the embarrassment she's made of herself. Quinn doesn't even have enough time to realize what she's doing. This whole thing has been a blur all its own. All she knows is that she's curled up in the single safest place she's ever been. "Please don't let him hurt me," she pleads. Puck is quick to put two and two together, rational anger tabled as he lets her cling to him, so tight it's almost as though her life depends on it, which technically, it does.

"Shhh…He won't touch you," he promises. "Won't lay a finger on you," he whispers placing the most gentle of kisses to her forehead.

"Blood," Quinn sputters. "So much blood…." It isn't until now that he realizes what she's talking about, or at least has a pretty decent guess. His borrowed boxers have done nothing to shield the gashes the sidewalk left on her skin.

"We'll take care of it," he says clearing up as much of it as he can before hoisting her off the ground.

"On the walls…" she mumbles. "So much blood. Always blood."

"Whose blood?" he asks, his question more careful now that she's closer and he can be heard more easily. Knowing better than to expect one, his question goes unanswered, Quinn's grip on him only intensified. "Easy Q, it's okay." Quinn can't help but shake her head. Nothing's okay. Not anymore. Nothing's been okay for so long.

"…was an accident," she repeats. Holding her close, Puck expertly opens the passenger side door slipping Quinn carefully inside. It's warmer in here but not by much. The only difference is the rain has stopped. The salt still courses her face and she's still soaked to the bone but she's not being pelted on anymore. Quinn gasps when she realizes that her stupidity will stink up his car, a blush shooting up her neck. "I'm sorry," she chokes trying to sit on her hands as she figures it's the best way to lessen the stench her urine will leave in the cloth of the seat. Puck gently pulls them out flat and smiles at her softly. "Didn't mean to…Thunder…Yelling…Please don't be mad."

"Nothing a little Fabreze can't fix," he reassures quietly, the smell finally traveling to his nose. "Let's get you home," he mumbles threading through her rain drenched hair. Quinn has to fight the urge to flinch again, his sudden touch almost too much. But this is Puck. Puck would never even dream of hurting her.

"My arm…"

"We'll take a look at that too. After a nice warm bath," he whispers. Even though he knows it's just her hand, the faster he agrees, the sooner he can keep her from going into some kind of shock. As soon as Puck closes the door he can see Quinn returning to her familiar use of fetal position, growing even smaller than when he found her out in the rain. With a quiet sigh, he closes the door jogging as quickly as he can to the other side. He's barely in behind the wheel before Quinn's taken a hold of his hand. Puck can still see she's glazed over but at least she hasn't lost it since realizing it was him who came and got her.

"Luckily we're not too far off," he says, quickly realizing it's more for him than her. "Can I hand Beth off too Mom really quick before I come and get you into the house?" Puck can see her eyes go wide, a frantic shake of her head.

"Don't leave…"

"I'm not leaving, Q just making sure the baby's inside before I take you up the stairs."

"He'll come…He always comes…" Taking a quick minute to think he decides he'll just call his mom from the driveway. Any questions or bitching she might have for him will just have to wait a bit.

"Not leaving," he says carefully. He can see her nod but again, her eyes are somewhere else. For a minute he wonders what the hell she actually saw but then realizes it's really no use given her current silence. "I'll just have Mom come get her." Another nod, eyes still dead. He sighs again averting his eyes to the backseat. If he and Quinn were the only ones allowed to touch her, he could only imagine the fight his mom's about to have as she takes her inside. "Just two minutes," he whispers "Two minutes and then you can need me all you want," he quietly pleads, almost convinced that bargaining with Beth will change the outcome for Ava.

Taking a deep breath Puck pulls carefully into his driveway. Using one hand to dial and call, he almost hopes it's his sister and not his mom who picks up. Thankfully he gets his wish, cutting off her rambling before she can even start. "Beth's in the backseat and Quinn won't let me leave the car. I'll explain it all when I get inside." He hangs up before his sister can pull in another argument. Only a minute after ending the call, his flustered sister comes out, walking slowly towards the truck.

"What the—?"

"Just take the baby and get inside fast, before she flips shit."

"But what—?"

"No time for questions right now. We're kind of in a hurry."

"You're in trouble…"

"Inside. Now."

"Mom! Noah's home with—"

"Shut it," Puck says behind clenched teeth. "Ten bucks to keep your trap shut until I've given Quinn a bath."

"But Quinn can…"

"I said don't ask," he growled. He watched Becca's eyes go wide, clearly not expecting him to take it that far when she'd barely put up a fight. She really just wanted answers. Why the hell was he home with his baby? Didn't they like...give her up? Why did Quinn look like she was ready to puke? Why was she almost breaking her brother's neck? Why was she crying?

"Did you make her cry again?"

"Fuck I wish it was that easy..."

"I'm gonna tell Mom you keep saying bad words."

"Trust me, when she finds out why we're here, I don't think she'll care all that much. Just get B inside please. She's going to wake up and start crying and I can't fix it until I've gotten Quinn out of this wet clothes. Which means you'll have to deal with her screaming at the top of her lungs for at least an hour."

"Fine."

"Run. She's gonna flip in about a minute. Move fast." Becca only rolled her eyes and nodded. "I'm gonna ignore the fact that you rolled your eyes at me right now because Quinn's a few seconds from hypo whatever it is and I'm already freaking out enough. Straight to my room, grab all the pillows you've got. I have an old shirt somewhere on the floor. Put it like right next to her." She nodded quickly, a quiet whimper tearing through Puck as Beth became all too aware of where she was. "You've got a minute before she starts screaming."

"If Mom were here right now…"

"Lucky for us she's not," he said. "MOVE!" Becca scurries up the stairs, Beth's cries becoming louder with every stride. Fast on her heels, Puck slipped out of his shoes taking the stairs two at a time to their small bathroom at the end of the hall. Turning the tap, he saw her jump about a foot shrinking in against herself. "Sorry," he said quietly. "It's just the tub…Do you want help?" he asks nodding towards her after he's stripped his own wet clothes, already ready to help her do the same. Puck can barely see the nod allowing him to quickly but gently peel his shirt off of her. It doesn't take long for six layers of goose bumps to present themselves making it all the more important that she get warmed quickly. As he takes hold of her waistband, Quinn's scream echoes through the bathroom.

"Shh…I won't touch anything. Just going to help you into the tub, alright?" he says lifting her gently off the floor. Carefully placing her inside, he can feel his stomach fall to his feet as Quinn lets a set of sobs wrack her already fragile frame. He knows it's not even that hot but the contrast makes the burn all the more painful. "I know it hurts, babe," he whispers, the blood caked on her knees making his stomach turn. "You wanna just sit for a minute?"

"Hurts," she offers weakly. Puck only nods. "Everything hurts."

"I know, baby." It's half a lie really because he doesn't know what she means by "everything". Hurt yeah that's clearly evident. How much? Well that's all up to her. "But we're gonna fix it, okay?" Quinn blindly nods. "Can we start?" Again a nod, this one with a hint of hesitation. "I'll be careful." Regardless of the fact that he wants to tear Russell's head off with his own two hands, the calm remains. For her.

"So much blood…" The frailness in Quinn's usually confident voice makes his own boil with a rage he's trying so hard to keep to himself.

"Head back," he says gently. The water cascading down her back burns but not near as much as before. This is a comfortable burn. A burn that'll keep her warm. At least that's what she hopes. As the blood slowly washes away, Puck realizes just how many cuts she's really sustained. She's stopped the screaming but the pierce of her lip tells him it hurts badly enough to do so if she let herself. He always knew her to be one of the strongest girls he'd ever met but time and time again she surprised him. The pink of the water widens her eyes even more.

"So…much…" Puck nods in agreement, his stomach turning at the sight of it. "….was bad," she muttered. "…always bad."

"It's okay," he repeats. "We'll fix it." Quinn only shook her head. There was no fixing this. Not even Puck, strong and determined and so set on making everything okay could do anything about this. This one was on her. It was all on her that her father broke almost every bone in her body, though he was smart enough never to do it all at one time. It was her fault he left making her mom turn to the bottle. She couldn't even keep her own baby safe. That one cut deeper than anything else ever would.

"Beth!" she yelps with sudden realization, eyes scanning in a whirlwind across the room.

"She's fine. Becca's got her. Think she's still asleep." For a minute Quinn feels selfish. What she's been through is no comparison to what's been done to her daughter. Somewhere in her rationale she knows the little girl's separation anxiety could kick in at any second yet she can't find it in her to let him leave her.

"Don't go," she pleads, her voice no more than a whisper hand gripping to his defined forearm.

"Not until we're done here," he promises. She almost wants to clarify that she meant never but nods in agreement. She can't find the strength let alone the words to say much of anything at the moment. Quinn isn't even sure how long she's been in there but the formally hot water is growing cold. As if he's read her mind, the water is already beginning to drain. With the exception of a small puddle, the water's already gone leaving Quinn in the empty tub. "You want help or you wanna do it yourself?" Quinn hasn't moved in ten seconds, back to shivering, giving Puck a clear enough indication. "Going up," he warns letting her wrap completely around him. Reaching for the first available towel, he wraps it tightly around her.

Leaving her to sit quietly on his bed, unmade from the night before, Puck quickly grabs the first dry outfit he can find and dresses in them. He really doesn't care that it's come off the floor. At the moment, he's pretty sure Quinn won't either. He finds the First Aid kit he leaves in a drawer in his nightstand. He almost laughs at how much use he gets out of it. The quiet hisses he gets as he gently applies a small bit of Neosporin to all of her cuts makes him a little uneasy but Puck makes sure to apply to every cut before he lets himself be done. As soon as he's covered her he pulls the warmest sweater he's got from his closet, pairing it with his only clean set of sweat pants. "They probably won't fit too good but all you're stuff's still in the truck." If Quinn weren't so beat up and bruised Puck would take the opportunity to make a comment about how much better it looked on her than him. As it stands, she's so shrunken and small that Puck's almost scared one word will make her disappear. She nods sliding over to the top of the bed to snake in between the covers. "Can I go check on Beth for a minute?" he whispers. She's literally in the same room but diverting his attention without some kind of permission would probably end badly. A barely noticeable nod gives him the okay as he brushes her forehead quickly.

Reaching over he takes the little girl to him, her awareness of him made apparently as she burrows so far into him he almost worries that she's going to let herself stop breathing. Running his fingers gently through her hair, he smiles. This is the most calm she's been all day, the novelty of it a bit alarming. A quiet sigh as she relaxes all her tiny tense muscles produces a sigh of his own.

"Hi baby..." he whispers, a callused thumb going over her cheek. Puck's still surprised at how much an effect just holding her has on his mood. "You and your mama puttin' me through the wringer," he chuckled. "Is this some dad certification course or something? 'Cause if it is, I'm wondering how well I'm doing. You're gonna tell me if I suck, right? 'Cause I uhh…I haven't done this before. I might be really bad at it," he sighs. The subconscious squeeze of his collar she takes is enough to make him smile a little. "You both have so much faith…" he muttered, his fear of letting either of them down amplified even further."I'm gonna try really hard. Promise. Gonna try so hard to be the dad you deserve. I'm not guaranteeing I'll be great at it but you're home. This is where you're supposed to be. With me and your mom."

The slight squeeze of his arm and the hint of a smile from Quinn gives him all the reassurance he needs. At least for the moment. "You know what's gonna be really fun? Telling Nana. I might be in really big trouble tonight…You're gonna back me up though, right? Puckermans stand together against the bad guys. Not that Nana's bad just…really hard to….You know what? Nevermind. The minute she sees you she probably won't even be that mad at me. Just go ahead and give her that smile and she's a goner," he chuckled.

A quiet knock averted his eyes away from Beth briefly, Becca's somewhat suspicious smile the first thing he saw. Expecting some kind of smartass retort, she just sat next to him, not at all concerned with Puck but the baby he held. He held his breath as her finger ran through her hair, only the slightest flinch offering any sign of discomfort.

"Do my homework for a month and I'll back you up at dinner," she promised.

"What the hell?"

"Mom's gonna rip you apart at the table. Baby can't talk, your girlfriend is like mute or something—"

"Watch it!" he snapped.

"…so all you've got is me. Even if blondie can't talk, won't talk, whatever, she's in no place to fight Mom for you. All you've got is me. Even though she practically disowned you after you got her knocked up—"

"Shut the fuck up," he mumbled. "I did not—"

"Right and this baby fell out of the sky. I'm not five. I know where babies come from, Noah. You made a baby and then you gave her up. Blondie here made a decent choice. Well, anything after deciding to have your baby is a decent choice really—"

"Is there a point to trashing my sex life? And for godsake you're eight. Who gave you permission to talk like that?" His sister just shrugged. "You _know_ I didn't. Don't you dare go there. Ma still slaps me across the mouth. I am not doing your homework just so you can keep yours shut long enough for me to say anything. Just keep quiet and let me do the talking, alright? I actually have real reasons for bringing them home."

"You actually missed your baby? Do you even know how to take care of one?"

"Bex, I can't do this right now, okay? Just trust me when I say I have a damn good reason for them being here. If you really need help with your homework, when she's feeling better Quinn will help you."

"How's she supposed to help me if she can't even talk?"

"Rebecca please...Not right now, okay? I promise it'll make sense later. Go watch TV or something. Maybe do some homework." Only now did she realize the sudden shift in her brother's gaze. Any further sarcasm and spite had evaporated when she dared to look between the three of them. Quietly making her way out of the bedroom and down the stairs, the younger Puckerman returns with a mug of hot tea, hoping that the box of apple cinnamon the blonde left at the house might still be her favourite.

Before she even comes to stand at the threshold, she can hear her brother's heavy breath of impatience. Fully intent on ignoring him, the girl quietly pulls a wisp of loose hair from the shaken girl's forehead like her mom always does when she's sick, just before offering her a mug of hot cocoa. Watching the exchange between his sister and...kind of girlfriend puts a familiar knot in his chest.

"Give me your hands," he whispered. The fear in her gaze is unmistakable, the time between keeping her trembling hands to herself and pressing them into his palms something that would have tried his patience at literally any other point in time. "Shh...Try and relax. It's over...You're warm and you're safe." Swallowing hard, Quinn nodded, a full two minutes lapsing before her hands were even relatively steady. "Good job. You ready?" He watched as frantic eyes zeroed in on the mug, waiting for an unsteady nod before silently prompting his sister's placing of it in their hands.

"Thank you," Quinn barely whispered.

"Mom says it's going to help," Becca offered, her tone of voice a harsh contrast from when she first met them on the porch.

"Thanks Sissy."

"You're welcome. Do you want me to...?"

"Yeah just for a minute. She'll be good as long as she's got something that smells like one of us. If she gets sick of me, the truck's full of stuff that smells like Quinn."

"But you always say it's rude to touch other people's stuff..."

"You're allowed to this one time, alright?"

"Okay." Puck finds himself biting the inside of his mouth when he notices that Becca's still travelling in what would be the opposite direction. "Mama always brushes my hair..." she said softly. "If Quinn wants I can do that after."

"Right now I need you to look after the baby. We'll talk about the hair thing later."

"Okay..." Once the two have made their exit, Puck turns his attention to Quinn and the steaming mug. He periodically tips it gently, waiting for steady hands that he knows will never come. Once cleared of its contents, he sets it aside quietly, pulling her into his lap. Short of the birth of her daughter, she's never felt more overwhelmed in her life. Once again, she remains oblivious to the tears cascading down her cheeks, the steady sob a dull roar as she buries herself so far into his neck. It's only after finding such an extreme...after taking on behaviour that reflects her last two days with Beth that she finally understands. As many times as he's held her, he's never _smelled_ so safe. As many times as she's heard her name fall off his tongue, she's never needed it more than she does in that moment.

"It's over, Quinn...I swear to you, it's over. All of it..."

"Again," she whimpered.

"Again what?"

"Say it again. I need you to say it again..."

"Quinn..." he murmured, wrapping her tightly in his comforter.

"Don't stop..." And he doesn't. Puck finds himself saying her name until it doesn't even sound like a proper word anymore. He says it so softly that the word has to be pressed up against her ear to be heard. He says it until he's close to forgetting how it's really supposed to sound coming out of his mouth. He carries it until her name is wrapped in his tears, her shaking body pressed so closely to him he has no idea where one of them begins and the other one ends.

"Okay..." she whimpered, quietly collecting every last one of them until she's drowning in them, consumed in everything they were always supposed to be and never were. Only then does she let her eyes finally close. Only then can she find peace in what is otherwise a burning pit in Hell.

"Don't go…Please don't go...I...I need you to..."

"I'm right here, Q," he whispers kissing her hair. "Right here…" Despite the circumstances, there were only two things that ever made this place feel like home anymore. Over his dead body would anyone be allowed to take any of that away from him again. He still hadn't figured out what the hell Quinn had seen on the way over, or the full extent of lasting damage done to his daughter. All he needed to know in that very second was that they were safe. His girls were safe and hell or high water he'd make damn sure they stayed that way.

* * *

 **A/N: There we go! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know it's been forever since this has had anything added but the muses just weren't giving me anything until now...*sighs***

 **Disclaimer: *See Chapter 1**

* * *

The sudden silence that washed over the room was enough to make him think that Quinn at one point let her eyes close. The only thing that told him any different was the tight hold she still kept around his neck. Muffled by his bare shoulder, it took him a few minutes to realize Quinn was muttering to herself. When finally it came through clearer, his heart began to hammer in his chest.

"No matter what…" If he didn't understand the context she would just be mumbling nonsense on repeat. "He promised…" Several times he thought about finding a way to peel her off for no other reason than to see if she was able to rest her eyes, maybe get some sleep. Quinn could fall asleep right there for all he cared, wrapped around him in what would otherwise be classified as a chokehold but she seemed almost afraid to let the words die. Puck let his callused hands knead light patterns across her neck, wondering if eventually the repetition would be enough to let her eyes close.

"If you're not going to sleep, do you want Becca to help you with your hair?" Against his shoulder, she nodded, for a moment wondering how much the little girl had seen. If she was thinking more clearly, if she knew how to stop it, she would be pouring thick apologies. At the moment, she could only hope the girl wasn't suddenly afraid of her. Kissing her temple, he used his free hand to call his sister back upstairs.

Reading the display nervously, the little girl quietly made her way back into the room. She had been so quiet in fact that Puck didn't even register her reappearance until she was standing right in front of them, placing her niece beside her brother before taking in the scene in front of her. It was true that Quinn hadn't stayed with them for very long but in the little time she had, Becca learned quickly that she was a strong and determined girl. Anyone who dealt with someone like Noah had to be. It was the only way to get him to stop being stupid. She had a courage and confidence about her that convinced the girl Quinn was exactly the kind of person she was going to grow up to be. Now though she was nothing stronger than a ghost, a hallowed out shell of the friend who used to spend hours painting her nails and teaching her all about boys. Her brother almost always found them, rolling his eyes at all the girly stuff. Beyond that, he never said much, just to stop asking Quinn so many stupid questions. They both of course ignored him. _Now it's my turn_ she thought, remembering all of the times her brother's girlfriend was there for her when her mom was stuck at work.

Taking her face between his hands, he folded a strand of loose hair behind her ear. The eyes staring back at him were still clear and cold and void of every human emotion he'd ever had thrown at him. All except for the fear. That he knew from past experience could be there for hours before she finally got brave enough to come back to them. Unwinding her arms from around his neck, she made no motion or protest to stop him. Instead her stare simply intensified, her clammy hands shaking so hard she wouldn't even be able to hold a pencil.

"Give me your hands," he murmured, his palms outstretched. Swallowing hard she brought them back out of her lap taking him with such a grip that anyone else would probably pull away within seconds. But Puck barely flinched, soft lips brought across her knuckles as she held them. "Good girl. Becca's going to come up behind you and start. If you wanna stop, we'll stop. Quinn shook her head firmly, the tips of her hair still a little damp. They couldn't stop. She didn't want them to. If they were touching that meant he wouldn't be able to. Giving his sister the go-ahead, he offered her a soft smile, hoping that she understood just how thankful they were. "Go real slow, okay?" Nodding silently, she came up on her knees, working the bristles slowly through her hair. Puck could feel his throat beginning to close while he watched her, small and delicate hands working with so much focus, almost as if she was afraid to screw it up. He was quick to realize that after what she'd seen become of Quinn, her behaviour wasn't badly placed at all. Puck never really understood why girls started humming while they were doing their hair but when Becca started off quietly, a quiet calm washed over Quinn. Her hands went still and if he wasn't mistaken, she looked a lot more relaxed. She no longer needed him to keep her steady but her gaze kept him there, already having learned that to change it on her when she could hardly make sense of up or down was asking for more than their current share of problems.

If she wasn't so concentrated on every line of his face, Quinn would have easily collapsed in his arms. She felt her emotions begin to crawl back up, not because she was hurting her but rather, how gentle she was. The quiet song she kept to herself almost made it worse. The few times her mother took the time to do things like this for her were so few and far between she had only enough to hold in one hand. The warmth of fresh tears began their journey down her cheeks, the sight of them making Puck's chest hurt. Brushing her cheek he smiled sadly.

"Noah?" Puck looked up at his sister, preparing to find a way to answer the question he'd seen in her eyes since he and Quinn walked in the door. "Why is she so sad?" He almost told Becca to mind her own business but then remembered how quick she was to take care of her, most of it done without asking. Noticing the harsh bite she had on her own lip he gently tugged it free before finding his words.

"She got in a fight with her mom," he whispered. The younger Puckerman raised her brow in confusion. She'd gotten in a lot of fights with their mom. Sometimes they made her cry. Sometimes she yelled but they never made it so she couldn't talk. Realization struck her when she took in the similarities between this situation and the one that brought the blonde to them the first time.

"I-Is it like before?" she asked hesitantly. She watched her brother nod slowly, eyeing Quinn when her shoulders began to shake. "Oh...Does…Does that mean she's gonna live with us again?"

"I think so," he said softly. "That okay with you?" Rebecca nodded slowly, more than a little afraid to see this side of her brother. There was never a doubt in her mind that he loved her but he got annoyed with most of the things she asked almost all the time. Now he almost seemed too nice. But then she figured, as long as Quinn wasn't crying anymore, seeing Noah act like this was okay. It was strange but okay. Though she was only eight years old, there were things even she took note of about their relationship. She could see now why they made a baby together. Even though Noah insisted that it wasn't supposed to happen, that it was an accident, that he did something bad, she could see it.

"Is Quinn your girlfriend?" Puck's eyes nearly jumped out of his head, every muscle in his body prepared to reject the idea. All they had was about a year's worth of late night phone calls and a baby. That didn't mean they were in a relationship. Did it?

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"You made a baby."

"Bex, just because two people make a baby that doesn't mean they're in a relationship," he clarified. "It just means that they made a baby." Even though she wasn't talking, Quinn didn't miss a minute of the current conversation. As honest as he was trying to be with his sister, there were tones in the things he said that left her crestfallen. No, Beth wasn't planned. And no, they hadn't been in a relationship at the time. But that didn't mean things hadn't evolved between them. The last couple of days had been proof of just how much either of them were still holding onto.

"Yeah but…"

"What?

"You love Quinn." Puck startled, the surprise on his face impossible to hide even if he wanted to. Becca offered a small and knowing smile, the glint of a secret in her eye she'd expertly kept from her brother. "You used to say it all the time. Especially after."

"I never told you that," he mumbled. And he honestly hadn't. His sister was in the third grade. What the hell did she even know about love anyway?

"You don't always have to use words. That's what Mama always says. When you really love someone, it's in all the stuff you do for them," she said shyly, her cheeks flushed realizing now she'd been caught. "You're always on the phone with her. I know I'm supposed to be sleeping but sometimes I hear you. And it's always really late…Sometimes she cries but you fix it. You make her feel better. I don't know how but you did it today. She's still sad but and a little scared but she knows you'll fix it. She's only crying a little bit," the little girl whispered.

"Where the hell are you getting all of this?" he mumbled, distracted by the weak smile that came across the blonde's face. His sister just shrugged pulling the brush through her hair once more. Almost everything his sister said was true and he hadn't shared a word of it with her. Becca was more observant than any of them ever gave her credit for.

"When you got home, she wanted you to hold her. She's a grown up. Quinn can take a bath all by herself. But she needed you to help. And you did. I ask you for help with stuff all the time and you always say I can do it by myself. But you didn't this time. And when she's happy, when she can talk, she doesn't like it when you help. But you always do it anyway. Because that's what you do when you love someone. You help them, even when they can do it by themselves, even when they don't want you to. And...You fight a lot. But you never hurt her. Not like Daddy used to do to Mom." He wanted to stop her right there, remind her that she was lucky enough to know nothing about their father but he managed to hold his tongue. "And yesterday was your birthday. Except for me and Mom and Finn, you don't like it when people tell you happy birthday. Because they're not your real friends. Or your family. You could've stayed home and played videogames all day and Mom wouldn't get mad. But you went to go see the baby. You wanted Quinn there too. Even though we're your family, you wanted your _whole_ family."

"They aren't quite the same," he pointed out. Not directly anyway. But if he squinted a little, if he went over the earlier parts of her explanation, they kind of were.

"You don't bring the baby back with you. You go visit every day but you always come back by yourself. This time it's different." Yeah…The kind of different that left him wishing he had his head in a porcelain bowl. "I have those questions too but for later." Nodding slowly, he sighed. Not until he smoothed it out with his mom did he even know how to begin explaining it to an eight year old. Still, there was something in her observation that alerted him to just how much she understood for a girl her age. "Santana's your best friend, like Finn except she doesn't come over." He found himself rolling his lip. Yeah….and that was true for a lot of reasons she wasn't ready to hear about yet. He could see the unease that washed over Quinn's face when the name fell from his sister's mouth. He wasn't about to call Lopez his best friend but there were certain things about her he could tolerate over almost everybody else. His friend Finn was dumber than a box of rocks sometimes but he was on the short list of acceptable associations longer than anybody in Lima.

"What are you getting at, kid?" The girl just shrugged, a sly smile across her face.

"Quinn is your girlfriend. You just don't say it with words. And you love her too, otherwise she wouldn't be in your room wearing your clothes and holding your hands like that."

"She's scared, Sissy. Anybody'd be holding hands to feel safe." Again the girl shook her head.

"But it's different. When I'm scared you hold me and you sing. When Mama's scared you hold her hand and say things to get her to calm down. You did both for Quinn. And now you're the only one who can touch. You're the only one allowed to touch her in places that aren't okay, the places that make babies…"

"Rebecca," he warned, watching Quinn flush in embarrassment.

"What? It's true. She used to be with Finn and they were boyfriend and girlfriend." Puck's face became a hard line, every nerve in his body determined to erase that part of his past completely from his memory. Really the only reason she knew anything about her relationship with his best friend was because Finn came and went as he pleased, the second son Ava "adopted" from the time he was no more than two years old. "He wasn't allowed to touch because they didn't love each other. They just thought they did."

"Okay, stop right there. I think we get it." His little sister was honestly scaring the crap out of him. How the hell did she already know so much? And to imply that their kind of love was the only one where sex was okay? Becca had all but aged 12 years right before his freaking eyes.

"Noah?" The frustration wasn't as easy to hide now, but his sister hardly seemed phased by the expression, probably because it was one he almost always wore. "Are you guys finally gonna get married? 'Cause that's what people do when they wanna make babies together. You and Quinn did it backwards but that's okay." No, it really wasn't but he got the point regardless.

"Let's take this one step at a time, alright? First we have to tell Mom about the first part." The little girl nodded slowly, suddenly more embarrassed than ever that she'd even asked all these questions. "But you're right about one thing. I do…I care about her just as much as I care about you and Mom."

"Because she's family," she mumbled. No matter how strangely woven together they were, she was family. Some would say it was simply based on the idea that she gave him Beth but the year without their daughter to give them reason to be in each other's lives proved to be the one thing they needed to understand just how many things made a family.

"Because she's family," he echoed, the smile those words put on the blonde's face so big he almost wondered if it would be enough to get her to talk. When the only thing that lit up was her face, he took it without question, enjoying this expression so much more than the cloud that hung over her. "You know you're not allowed to talk like that," he mumbled.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I just wanted to know."

"Well now you do," he mumbled. Even though his sister laid it out for him step by step in the most obvious way, he still wasn't sure what to call them. The love between them went without question but he didn't want to put a label on them that would make Quinn uncomfortable. To be fair he flat out hated them. He'd never been a guy ready and willing to hold down anything that resembled a relationship. But he and Quinn had gone zero to sixty in less than a minute and even then it freaked him out to realize how unafraid of the whole thing he was. Contrary to popular opinion he knew exactly who Quinn Fabray was and went after her anyway. Not strictly because she was hot but because there was something about her as a person that spoke to him. Having learned that people around them could see it so obviously only confirmed what he initially felt over a year ago.

Quinn could barely see straight listening to every word that seemed to fall with purpose and conviction out of Becca's mouth. Not until she so bravely spoke up did the older girl come to realize how simply laid out the situation was. Other than the naïve perception she had of Beth, every word made the most obvious sense. Usually she fought like hell to keep people from seeing her like this. Puck and his family were the only ones she managed to reveal herself to, sometimes without being asked by her emotions if they were allowed to just spill out the way they were now. And even for a little girl, the way his sister delicately weaved through her hair was a kind of love and care she didn't think a person so young would even have. Despite having to live here with no other options while she was pregnant, this was the only place she even considered close enough to calling home. Now, if everything worked out the way they hoped, she could do so with more assurance.

"I do," she whispered hoarsely, her gaze so intense he had to scramble to steady himself. Even with more fear in her eyes than he'd ever seen, she loved him. Regardless of the emptiness in her stare, he could see the emotion she wanted to let free but simply couldn't just yet.

"I know," he murmured. Rebecca chose to stay silent, her eyes shining with a spark of twisted joy that made Puck roll his eyes. "The great mouse detective…" he muttered.

"Hey!" she grumbled.

"You are a mouse," he teased.

"I told you to stop calling me that…" Regardless of the countless times she asked him to stop making fun of her height, there was something about him refusing to listen to her that made her smile sometimes. He told her a long time ago that teasing them and annoying them was the way he told the he cared. She noticed it with Quinn too but kept that piece of evidence to herself. Yeah it was annoying. Yeah she kept asking him to stop. But that was how Noah showed love. So she let him. But only sometimes. Easing her fingers through the blonde's hair one last time, she placed a quick kiss to her cheek. "There," she smiled, her voice soft.

"Thanks…" he mumbled. The little girl nodded, happier than she should be to have been able to do that for her. The fact that she was so scared still left Becca unsure of how much she was able to do for them. Despite her age, it was no secret how defensive the blonde had become, even around her. "You mind getting the baby a bottle? Not sure if she'll take it but she's been weird about food since everything. Just be patient. She'll take something when she's ready. Just have to keep reminding her." His sister nodded taking her niece and easing a finger down the side of her face when she fussed in protest. "We'll be down in a minute." Once the two were gone Quinn quietly returned to being curled up in his lap, her nose once more buried in neck in an attempt to bathe herself in the smell of him.

"You feel better?" She bit her lip unsure if "better" was the appropriate word to use. Not a lot had been solved but the love she'd been shown was enough to remind her just how completely different the two families were. Her parents' home was easily three times the size. The Puckermans' hearts beat theirs by leaps and bounds. Still, she found herself nodding, the softest kiss placed along his clavicle. "Should we go downstairs and wait for Mom?" He was never sure when Ava came home anymore. A nurse's shift was just that unpredictable. But if it got them out of this room, letting her believe that it would be soon was the way to go. Again Quinn nodded, Puck letting his arms wrap around her almost without thinking. The last thing anybody needed was their visit to Ava to take place in the emergency room. Seeing as she was almost completely lost in her head, it was up to him to navigate them down the stairs.

Moving them into the living room, he could barely make out the quiet conversation between Beth and his sister. Even though Becca was the more talkative one of the two of them, there was something about seeing her so lit up that gave him reason to genuinely smile. All three of them had seen their fair share of hurt but knowing how much she understood about how they lived made small moments like this so important. Beth to her credit wasn't screaming yet, though part of it was probably thanks to the fact that she was swaddled almost completely in one of her mother's tops.

"You doing okay over there?" he asked, guiding Quinn into his lap. The younger Puckerman seemed to barely hear him, a distracted muttering quietly leaving her mouth. He lightly snorted at the idea that they were virtually invisible. Quinn offered an equally amused expression, though hers was more a shadow than his. "We're not even here…"

Despite how long the previous night had been, Puck was wide awake, infused with a new bout of energy he hoped would take its time in tapering off. This was how he'd always imagined it to be. Almost…. As concerned as he was that she was barely present, it was better than the alternative. She could instead be screaming at the very sight of him. But today she only flinched for no more than a second when Rebecca touched her, all but begging for his constant presence. All things considered, today was shaping up better than he expected.

Slowly, he let his chin sink down into her shoulder, soft blonde hair tickling the tip of his nose. Quinn softly grunted at the added weight, the sound softening in her throat when she realized who it was.

"Hey," he whispered, his arms wrapping gently around her middle. When she was more herself, Quinn wasn't this open to touch. The sudden shift in behaviour was another bold tell reminding him just how haunted she was. Only a little girl would be seeking this much protection. With enough reassurance, she would be back to poking fun at him soon enough.

No matter how great a picture this was, it really shouldn't have had to come to this. To be quite honest, he still hadn't wrapped his head around any of it completely. He would consider it a dream if it wasn't so freaking messed up. This was supposed to be a dream come true. Why the hell did it feel like a complete nightmare? No dream involved his little girl, barely more than a year, having been abused by a woman he thought he could trust. Thinking back, Puck wasn't sure he trusted the woman at all. But Quinn had and at the time, that had to be enough for him. Despite their constant bickering, Puck always found a way to trust the blonde's judgment; even when said judgment extended to him and his less than stellar behavior. His mouth and how easily he poured crap out of it is what kept him quiet and compliant. As much as he reluctantly agreed, something inside of him encouraged keeping tabs, just to be safe. Remembering all too well how he grew up, one could never be too careful. It was the very least he could do for being the one to put them in such a position.

Puck's attitude had been the main reason they had faced the problem at all. If he had enough brains to wrap it up, or to not have sex, period, neither of them would be here. But they were, and as much as he lay awake at night in constant battle with his lack of morals, there was no changing what was already done. It wasn't that he regretted being with Quinn or the result of his lack of intelligence for all of two minutes but if he had simply been smarter about the whole thing, he wouldn't be clutching his two beaten girls like he was the only one standing between them and any other torment.

Starting small circles on the small of her back, he sighed. What had she seen out there? The bravest woman he knew couldn't be afraid of a storm. Their entire relationship (or whatever the hell they were) had been a fucking tornado. Quinn, from what he saw seemed to make it out almost unscathed, minus the spider web of confusion that was Beth's short life and all that came along with it. He knew enough to conclude that it had something to do with her father, a man Puck personally wanted to see six feet underground. He'd even go so far as to do all the work himself. Behead the bastard and dig the godforsaken hole his sorry as would rest in.

Watching her now, Puck couldn't help but marvel at how at peace she looked, even when she did nothing more than stare blankly out the window. Yes, she was still apprehensive as hell but at the very least she felt safe enough in this house to make small steps in the other direction. Upon closer look he could see the slight traces of fear in her delicate features, facial muscles tense as she kept herself as close to him as she possibly could. _Blood. Always blood._ What the hell did that even mean? Given how small she sounded earlier, and probably still felt, it couldn't actually be literal...Right? Even as insane as he knew the Fabrays were, none of them were tied to bloodshed and murder. Then again, Quinn's family had always leaned on the wackier side of the scale than most families.

"What'd you see, pretty girl?" he whispered, the possibilities still turning in his head. Even if she ever answered his question (which he doubted would come for a while), he knew that this was where they had to stay. Sure they hadn't figured out the legal three ring circus for Beth yet but there was no way Puck would just sit there while someone took her from them a second time. Not when there should not have even been a first. "Nobody's going anywhere," he promised, eyeing his daughter when she quietly began to stir. He wasn't sure if it was a quiet confidence for them or himself.

Taken completely from his current thoughts, Beth began to squirm, a soft whimper falling from her mouth, quickly building to a wail. Becca offered the little girl her free index finger, frowning when she held it in her mouth for all of five seconds before spitting it back out.

"Mmmma."

"I got her," he mumbled. Carefully shifting Quinn from his lap, he stood. Watching the curtain of her eyes rise slowly, he wondered how fear had replaced her calm so quickly.

"I-I didn't..." she whispered.

"I saw. It's okay. She forgets we're here sometimes. Then she'll remember. It's not anything you did. I'll get her changed real quick and bring her right back," he promised. Even though she hadn't protested, he knew Quinn's eyes were burning a hole into the side of his head. "Can you just sit with her?" he asked. Becca obediently took his vacated space on the couch, cautiously taking the blonde's hand in her own. "Thank you," he mumbled tugging gently at her ponytail. "You've been a big help today." The wide smile that spread across her face told Puck just how proud of herself she was. Today more than any other she'd freaking earned it. A small smile played across his lips as frantic eyes took in her hand and all the other injuries left by the storm. "Quinn got a little banged up, she's okay," he said hoping that was enough to settle her. Quinn flashed him a weak smile in thanks as she stood taking in all the doctoring Puck had done. "You're welcome," he said quietly.

"I put her bag on the table," his sister offered quietly. Once in the safety of the other room, Puck sighed, realizing how much natural spite the situation had taken out of her. On a normal day, the two would be dishing insults without missing a beat. Today she seemed almost afraid to move without permission. Moving back into the living room, he laid the baby across the opposite couch massaging her stomach softly when she began to squirm, trying despite her limitations to keep an eye on her mother.

"There she is," he whispered, offering a soft smile when apprehension slowly fell away in her tiny muscles. "Mama's not goin' anywhere, sweetheart." The words did little to reassure her, a laser-sharp stare making Beth unaware of practically everything else. "Lay flat for me," he prompted gently, doing his best to keep her hips down long enough to get the job done. He managed two more minutes of single-handedly maneuvering her body before the little girl began to scream, the sound making Becca cover her ears.

"Mmmma!"

"I got it. I got it…" he sighed taking up the empty cushion on her other side. Even just sitting beside her quieted the baby significantly, though determination had her reaching for loose strands of Quinn's hair. "I don't think that's the best idea…" he mumbled. Watching the events unfold, the younger Puckerman blinked.

"Why doesn't she take the baby, Bubbah?"

"When she's ready she will. She just needs a little time. Right now she's just scared."

"Why?"

"She's sick," he said hoping it was something believable. Puck of course was never that lucky but today's mood gave him hope that she would stop there. At least for now.

"The tea didn't work?" she mumbled, her face falling slightly.

"It did," he nodded.

"Does she need more? I can go make more."

"We're good. She'll be okay once Mom gets back. Right now I want you to go get your homework done, okay?"

"But—"

"We'll let you know. For now we'll just be hanging out."

"Okay…" If she hadn't been so damn attentive to them, an easy laugh would have fallen from his mouth when she parted with a dejected expression.

"Hey Squeaks?" Rebecca turned, a layer of fear in her eyes that Puck hardly ever saw anymore. "They're going to be okay." She nodded slowly, a small part of her doubting just how okay they would be. "Come here a minute." She barely dragged her feet over to him, coming to stand in front of him nervously. "Look at me." Dragging her eyes up to meet his gaze, she gulped.

"It's like Daddy," she whispered. If he wasn't already feeling sick to his stomach, those words made him want to vomit. As much as he fought to tell her that no, this was something different, there were similarities that couldn't be ignored.

"I'm not Dad," he whispered trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

"I mean Quinn's mommy." Rolling his lip, he nodded. The wordless confirmation made the little girl's lip begin to quiver. "That's not okay," she choked.

"It's not," he nodded. "But I promise it'll never happen again."

"Because Quinn will be here where it's safe…" The blonde in question felt tears begin to form at the back of her own eyes and though it took more than her usual efforts, a nervous hand reached out to take the little girl in her lap. Looking her over, Becca sniffed, eyes hardening much like her brother's often did when she noticed the welt across her face. Her discovery needed no words at all, soft fingers gliding across the bruise that was slowly taking shape. What started out as a slow tremor became uncontrollable, forcing her to drop her hand and quietly bury her face in the blonde's chest. As much as the moment broke him, what unravelled him almost completely was the moment Quinn let her arms wrap around his sister in some kind of comfort while she cried.

"Where it's safe," he murmured pressing a soft kiss to her hair.

"I-I'm sorry…"

It was in moments like this Quinn wished more than ever that she could find her words. At eight years old a girl should never know what it felt like to be this broken. Gently massaging her scalp, she found a quiet hum, barely able to pull it forward in her mouth. Next to her Puck blinked, wondering if the words would come that were meant for the particular tune. When they didn't, he tried hard not to sigh, taking the small win for what it was. Quinn had been able to provide a level of comfort that in this instance wouldn't satisfy her nearly enough.

"I'm proud of you," he mumbled pressing a strand behind his sister's ear. "Wouldn't have been able to get it all figured out without you."

"You-You are?" Both she and Puck nodded together, the little girl clinging to her brother's girlfriend, seemingly convinced that if she squeezed hard enough all the pain would come out. "It's not okay," she repeated. "Mommies are supposed to love you. Daddies too but Noah says…Noah says that ours was sick…But he never went to the doctor to get better." _This_ was the little girl she was supposed to be. Her gaze travelled between them, the nod they gave making the little girl shiver.

"She never went to the doctor either," he mumbled.

"Oh…" Despite the explanation she was given, something about the situation still didn't make very much sense. How did they end up with the baby? As much as she wanted to ask, she also knew she had already asked way too many questions, even though her brother never told her so.

"Can you listen to your brother for me?" The shock that lit up her face almost made Puck laugh. The only thing stopping him was his own brand of surprise. If the room wasn't so damn quiet he would've missed the whole thing. Rebecca looked absolutely lost, trying to make sense of what she just heard. She hadn't talked all day and _that_ wasthe first thing she managed to say?

"Please?" Becca bobbed her head happily, kissing the blonde's cheek before bouncing out of the room. Though she seemed more than willing, the excitement was dialed back considerably. "Damn…First full sentence all day and you use it to tell my sister what to do." Quinn just rolled her eyes. "Thanks…" And just like that, every emotion across her face was wiped clean.

"Could I do it here?" she asked softly, too nervous to press her luck but more afraid to be away if something happened. "I promise I'll finish…I won't even watch tv this time." Puck wasn't even sure what drove him to agree to the deal. She'd never gone and broken so many rules in one afternoon. On the other hand, she was the main reason Quinn was able to form sentences at all. Reluctantly, he agreed leaving his sister with more joy than an eight year old should have at the idea of absolute silence and at least an hour's worth of homework. It helped that she was more driven than he ever was but still. When she finally settled, creating what they had come to call her study circle, he couldn't help seeing this as an everyday thing; a comfortable silence across the entire house while each went about their business. He would have to thank her later for bringing Quinn back to them.

The following hour came and went faster than he realized, only indicated by how quickly his sister came to stand over them, happy to extend her math notebook to her brother as proof. "Is it done?" All they got was a nod.

"She looks like a ghost…" she mumbled well aware that he was already burning holes in the back of her head for being so blunt. The look earned him a swift kick he would know just about anywhere. No matter how little she'd opened her mouth today, her feet were still in perfect working condition, at least when it came to punishing him.

"What was that for?" The blonde served him a pointed look, her gaze softening when she turned to Becca. "She knows that's rude," he muttered massaging his calf. Brushing his arm, she mutely allowed him to provide her with some kind of explanation.

"What did they do to her? You're not having another baby, are you?" Puck almost choked, hacking a cough that nearly scared his daughter. "That's why she got in trouble before…"

"This is different," he mumbled. His sister sighed heavily. He'd already said that. What she wanted to know was _why_ it was different. "You'll find out when Mom gets home, okay? Then we don't have to tell the story twice." To be quite honest, he hoped this was something she might get distracted enough to forget.

"I'm not a baby," she grumbled. Yes she was. In the context of this situation she was very much still a baby.

"Bex, all you have to know is that she's sick and scared and she's going to need our help to get better. Can you do that?" She didn't miss the fact that he stepped around her question. Still, she agreed silently. "It's complicated," he said simply. "Really complicated." He himself wasn't sure what to make of it and in a lot of ways he was an active participant.

"Calculus is complicated," she said flatly. "Just say it. I'm not dumb." No, unfortunately she wasn't dumb at all. Still, he'd been put in a position that had him standing right alongside Ava while she taught her right from wrong. This was at least five different kinds of wrong it would take at least a decade to be ready for.

"Becca, you're eight." Quinn nudged him lightly. If he didn't give her some kind of satisfaction, they'd be standing here till his mom walked in the door, likely making a bigger mess of things than they already were.

"And?"

"She spooked," he said simply. "Not sure what happened but she hurt herself really bad and her mom didn't help her. Now, can we please stop with all the questions? I doubt she wants to remember it," he warned. Offering a shrug, still as confused as before, Becca turned on the TV, keeping the volume to a low murmur "Keep it down," he said quietly, ruffling her hair as he walked by her. "Is everything still in the truck?" When he got no answer, he sighed quietly placing the little girl in her mother's lap and wrapping her tired arms around her before kissed both of their foreheads. While Beth quietly sang his name under her breath it was Quinn who had to bite back a whimper. "I'll be right outside," he whispered. "Twenty minutes tops."

The minute he walked out the door, Becca could tell that Quinn was watching his every move. In all the months she'd known her, she'd never seen her so afraid. It wasn't like anything was going to happen to him in the short time it took to move a few things inside. Still, the little she knew made her sad for Quinn. She was smart, she was funny, and really, really nice. Nice people didn't deserve to have mean things done to them. Even though she wasn't nearly as interested as the blonde, Rebecca found her own eyes tracking him as he moved through the living room with all of the boxes.

"Shelby screwed up," he said simply while sliding a box against the wall. It was rare to see his sister _choose_ to be this quiet. It was often a sign that she was either collecting information or genuinely concerned for someone. Remembering the moment of tears he wondered if it was even worth waiting for Ava to get back.

"So did you," she pointed out.

"Yeah but I'm not in jail, am I?" Becca simply blinked turning to face Quinn. It didn't take long for her to notice how protectively she gripped her daughter. Alternatively, the baby's face was almost buried in her chest. Walking over to them he carefully pulled apart her arms, slowly picking up Beth and resting her on his shoulder. In only moments a piece of his shirt was shoved in her mouth. Placing a kiss between her eyes, Puck began unbuttoning her onsie slowly so as not to scare her. As a breeze blew past her delicate skin, the little girl flinched, her bottom lip beginning to quiver. "Shh, I won't touch," he promised, slow with every movement to keep Beth from being as upset as possible.

"Won't touch what?" she wondered, her brow knit in confusion. "Aren't babies supposed to be used to...?" Her sentence trailed as she took in the small gashes and bruises against her niece's skin. "What the hell?" she muttered. Puck nodded, too concentrated on his movements to tell his sister to mind her tongue.

"Shelby screwed up," he growled, slightly surprised when Quinn slid in to take the little girl's hand around her finger.

"You mean she...?"

"Yep," he mumbled, his body going rigid.

"But I thought..."

"So did we," he said. His sister took a seat on the couch across from them trying to make sense of what she'd just seen. Sure her brother had been the biggest idiot of them all, his only shining moment, the one where they'd put Beth up for adoption but this was a baby. A small, defenseless tiny human being. Becca could feel tears prick the corners of her eyes as she watched them do everything they could to shield the little girl from her obvious fears.

"What are you gonna tell Mom?" she asked quietly, still trying to process what all she'd seen.

"The truth," Puck said. "We trusted her and she fucked up." Ignoring the fact that he just swore, the younger shook her head. Their mom worked at the hospital. When they finally told, she would be able to do something to help. She always knew how to help. Even so, they couldn't just…take her back, right?

"But what does that mean? You can't just...You gave her up for a reason."

"Yeah and clearly that was a very stupid reason," he muttered, eyeing Quinn next to him as she silently brushed across her daughter's checkered skin. There was no doubt that Puck was given reason to be his angriest. She wasn't about to call him on his attitude once she found her words. Still, his tone stung. Because he wasn't wrong in the slightest. Adoption _had_ been stupid. Nothing about any of it spoke of good intentions. Quinn was just scared out of her own damn mind. So afraid that she didn't even bother to listen to the voices around her. She had found a home, been given the love of a woman who learned to love her as though she herself had given birth to Quinn. Even more importantly, she had Noah, who was more willing than she ever imagined he would be to be woken up at all hours to tend to a baby. A soft sigh slipped from her lips, this entire conversation making her wish she could just press a button and say yes. It would certainly spare all of them this hell.

"So you just...get her back?" she asked.

"Well no. There's still all the legal crap. Taking care of that tomorrow. But there's no way she's going anywhere," he said firmly. "Made that mistake once."

"But you don't have a choice," Becca said quietly, wising up considerably now.

"Like hell we don't," he growled, squeezing Quinn's hand as she saw her startle. "Just gotta talk to Ma when she gets home. She'll help make sense of this shitfest." His sister nodded, deciding that now was not the time to call him out on his swearing.

"I just...Why?" she whispered brushing quietly under her eyes.

"Some people aren't meant to be parents," Puck said honestly. "Think it's too hard. They don't know how to make sacrifices," he added kissing his daughter's forehead as she watched her mother in silence. The fact that he was offering the speech made Quinn smile. Both of them had done what they needed to do to break the cycle. Though looking back on all that Puck had ever done for them, there was not a doubt in her mind that he was absolutely nothing like the father he feared so much. Her sharp tongue was all she needed to notice that if she wasn't careful, she would become Judy. No matter how many times he told her otherwise, Quinn knew she was for the most part difficult. And still he had the heart to love her in ways she had never properly earned.

"But that's the point of..."

"Trust me, I know," he said. He wasn't sure if it was the need to keep things as calm as possible for Quinn and Beth or the severity of the situation, which he had to applaud his kid sister for taking all of this as well as she was, but Puck had no edge in his tone, simply choosing to drown in disappointment. In himself; in the woman who had betrayed them all. "Some just don't deserve to be called a mother," he sighed wrapping both his larger arms around his daughter's tiny frame, Quinn's hand now coming to rest at his leg. Even in all her fog, she knew how important it was for him to keep her close, that Beth knew she was safe. She would find another way to keep him just as close, another body part to touch just to keep herself sane.

"Huh?" his sister asked.

"Quinn called and we talked. She was..." Puck now turned to the woman in question, somehow asking if he could continue the explanation. She nodded pressing herself closer to him. "She called me in the morning and she sounded sad. I didn't want anybody sad on my birthdday. So I thought I'd take her to..." He couldn't say the woman's name without wanting to scream opting to leave it out as he continued. "Met Beth for the first time since giving her up. I went to see her a few times and I thought it would help." Why he was telling his kid sister this, Puck had no idea but he pressed on, somehow believing that if someone else knew, the less he'd have to say at dinner later. "Got Beth to say her name," he smiled, nuzzling Beth's hair in quiet praise. "Wasn't much but it worked for her. Reminded her that even though she wasn't home, all of these special days still meant something.

"And then we just..." Puck's next words brought his eyes to a close as he took another deep breath. "Shelby was just...mean. At first we thought it was just because we were there or that Quinn was closing in on her territory or something. Wouldn't talk to her right. Did everything she could to keep her from us. Since I had been there before, Beth knew who I was, even more confused when she took her away from me for stupid reasons. One thing led to another and we got into this fight about legal crap and Shelby's yelling just made it worse."

"Eventually she had to go out to her studio for something and after some more arguing left Beth with us. Comes home, rushes us out of the house. I knew something was up the minute she came back but I ignored it thinking it was just me being protective and all that. So we left. A little while later we get a call from a friend who says Beth hadn't stopped crying since we left." Puck could feel himself growing angry again, a fire building at the pit of his stomach as he clutched the little girl closer. "I guess she had gone to a bar and left her there. With a complete stranger. Just...leaves her. So anyway, she calls us over, telling us we better hurry, that Beth can't settle. I get there and she's scared out of her mind, almost blue in the face from cyin' so hard. Minute she sees me she won't let go." Puck quietly brushes a hand over his daughter's calmed face kissing her forehead before he continued.

"Few minutes later she comes in completely drunk and tears Beth away from me, just as I've calmed her down enough to stop crying. 'Course she starts up again, scared out of her mind. I can smell her breath from like ten feet away, watching her every move as I try and get her back. Which I don't until the cops show up and drag her off." Becca is uncharacteristically silent as she listens, absorbing as much as she can of the story. A lot of it she doesn't understand; it's a lot of words she's never heard, words that grownups use when they talk. But from the words she knows, she gets that none of it is good.

"I don't...I don't get it," she whispered brushing at her eyes. Noah just made a big mess. A really big mess. Well, really it was the lady they gave the baby too but whatever. Looking at the three of them now, she wanted to take back every single mean thing she's ever said to her brother. He made a lot of mistakes when she was little but he was also the only dad she'd ever really known. Their real one was always too sick. Thinking back on it, she's not sure she even remembers the guy. But the way Bubbah talked about him told her she really didn't care. He didn't tuck her in at bed time or read to her at night. Whoever the man was never sent her a birthday card or ever called. Noah did. Noah always did. Her brother _always_ made time for her. And most important, he always said that he loved her, even after she had been mean to him.

"What's not to get?" Puck asked screwing up his eyes.

"No I mean...Why?"

"Hell if I know," he whispers, his voice catching. "What I _do_ know is she's not going anywhere."

"You said that already," Becca pointed out, her sharp comment somehow much quieter now.

"Because I mean it. She belongs here...at home. Be damned if she goes through the..." Puck stops then, not daring to continue.

"So what do we tell her?" Even though he'd already said she was supposed to be quiet and let him do it, she really just wanted to help. She was nothing but mean to him after the baby was born, never letting him forget that what he did was super stupid. She'd told him time and time again that he didn't know how to be a dad. She almost hated herself now. Because she had it all wrong. He knew exactly how to be a good dad. She just didn't like the idea of sharing him. But really, she already was. He loved Quinn too. Mama always said that a heart always had more love. Becca had just convinced herself that she could have all of it.

"You don't tell her anything," he said.

"How am I supposed to...?"

"Just keep her from yelling at me," he said, the job more than enough for his sister to keep her hands full. "They're too scared to deal with yelling." Knowing his mom yelling might be one of the last things on her mind. Once she noticed what Quinn looked like, she would fall right into being a nurse. Beth would probably just confuse her and get him a lecture but he wasn't even thinking about the details of that. His sister nodded, still not entirely sure what she would say about why Quinn wouldn't talk

"So you're gonna..."

"I have to, Bex." Again, the girl nodded silently. As if on cue, a car they know as their mother's pulled into the driveway. Puck can feel Quinn's grip on him tighten a little as the door unlocks, her eyes shifting nervously. "It's just Mom," he whispered. He doesn't feel her relax until Mrs. Puckerman shows her face, a smile coming across it at the sight of Quinn.

"Oh Quinn what a lovely..." She stops then noticing an extra body in the room, her heart swelling for a moment before she's once again clouded with confusion. "Noah..."

"Ma, just lemme..."

"Don't tell me you took your...Noah I know how you...But..." Her son had gone around in circles for months following his daughter's adoption. What could he have done differently? What more could he have said to help Quinn understand? Would Beth hate him? As much as it broke Ava's heart, there wasn't a single thing she could do for either of them. So when they stayed silent and scarce for the weeks following, she said nothing more than try and pick up her own heart when she realized she could do nothing. She said even less when the phone calls began, crying silently over the bill when she saw that Quinn's was the only one she could see. It was in those moments she prayed for the young woman's safety and protection, learning rather quickly that she had little to none of it in her own home.

After some time she began to surprise herself with how often she thought to ask Quinn herself to come back. As often as she dialed, she quickly disconnected. She knew better than to disturb a grieving mother.

"What? No! I didn't steal my own kid," he supplied, the statement sounding somewhat bizarre to him even as he said it.

"Noah you better have a very good explanation for this," she said, the tension that's coated the room all day taking the razors from her tone.

"I do," he said quietly, easing callused fingers through Beth's hair as she finally fell asleep once more. Even while Puck retold the story, he was still surprised his mom was even listening. Even though he already knew she would be down to helping them, it was the first time she really took in his every word. Even weirder is that she's got nothing insulting or demeaning to provide, though the subject matter didn't leave very much room for jokes anyway. When he finished, he watched his mother's face fall at the sight of the little family sitting quietly as they bunched together.

"What do you suppose we do?" she finally asked. "We have to alert Child Protective—"

"No! I'm not letting my kid go through the system. I can't. I already did it once Ma and look at where it got her." Mrs. Puckerman nodded. "Please Ma...You gotta help figure somethin' out," he pleaded softly, the usual sarcasm and macho tones wiped clean. If Noah ever allowed himself it was this level of desperation that would put tears in his eyes.

"I...I'm not sure how much I can do..." she whispered. The woman may be a doctor but Ava Puckerman was at a loss as to how to help her son by legal means.

"We already had Rachel talk to a bunch of lawyers. Some of them are looking over her file now. I just...I need you to back me up here. Mama you're a doctor. You can't say that any of this is...healthy for...She's a baby. Our baby," he said quietly. The older woman swallowed hard, thoroughly choked up at the level of maturity he'd been able to find for this conversation. Still, parents as young as they were only ever went down two separate paths. Giving their daughter a better home was supposed to keep them going to school. Now, because of a bad home, they were right back where they started, only now the baby in her mother's belly was now fast asleep in her son's arms.

"Noah, your education is..."

"I'm not gonna quit school," he said quickly. "Quinn would kill me," he said, laughing lightly as a way to ease his own tense muscles.

"She won't be the only one," Ava scoffed. Puck nodded then, willing to accept anything he might need to at this point. "How do you plan to provide? The little you make with your summer job isn't going to do much."

"So I find another job," he said easily. "Was planning to anyway. When I thought we were gonna..." Puck let his voice trail then choosing to steer clear of that part of the conversation. "Look, I gave up on a lot of stuff. I quit things half way through all the time. I get passable grades but nothing amazing. But this is...This is my kid. She wasn't even here for an hour before I had to give her to someone who wasn't her mom And what did that get us? Nothing."

"You were trying to keep her safe and happy," his mother pointed out.

"Safe my ass," he muttered.

"Noah."

"Sorry. Mom I can't just...It's my fault she's even in this mess. It's on me that she's so confused and scared. Shelby terrified her. Won't let go of me. She's good with Quinn for a few minutes but when she can't see me all she does is scream her head off. We're workin' up to it but it's...I can't hand her off to strangers." For an overly confident guy, Puck's confession to his mother leaves him flustered and...dare he say afraid himself, though he'd never say the exact words. He assumed she saw it all already. He watches her eyes shift to Quinn who has grown impossibly small in the older woman's presence. Ava quietly observes, a fair list of questions on her tongue.

"Has she spoken?" she asked quietly taking in the glassiness of the younger woman's eyes.

"Becca got a sentence out of her. Besides that it's been one or two words and that's it. She's... Thunder freaked her out. She got a little banged up but I gave her a bath and treated the cuts. She freaks out on me too, only without the screaming. This one slept for a while," he muttered running a soft finger along Beth's spine, a sensation that prompted her to readjust so she was even closer. It isn't until he sees the clock on the mantle that he realizes his mom's home early. Why, he isn't sure but he can't help feeling glad that she is.

"Have they eaten?" Puck shook his head. Beth hadn't eaten for a few hours and he's almost sure as anything that Quinn can't even look at food right now. The tea his sister had prepared was long gone by now and barely enough to hold her over for the hours she'd already gone without putting a single thing in her mouth.

Much like she promised, Becca still hadn't left her place on the couch, waiting on her mom for answers. Slowly, she got up, quiet while she walked over to the baby's things and pulled out a small bottle. When she returned a moment later, she stood over her brother wondering if it would even be smart to try and pull her away. Her daughter is blocking their complete line of sight but from where she sat, Ava silently observed, the quiet maturity her daughter was showing in that moment something she had yet to see. Smiling softly at his sister, he invited her to take the baby, letting out a small sigh when all she did was whimper calling out to Quinn only a couple of times. Becca chose to fill the empty air with pointless chatter, a sound that left Beth completely enthralled.

"There's some chicken in the oven if you'd like to get her to try and eat a little something," she said softly. She'd been waiting for Quinn to stop by for quite some time. Under these circumstances, the joy has turned to something more painful. Quinn mutely shook her head at the mention of food, her stomach beginning to roll.

"Didn't even eat breakfast," he said quietly, carefully brushing his fingers across her arm. "Just a little?" he asked biting his lip. "Please?" Closing her eyes with a quiet sigh, she nodded, trying hard to hide the tears that threatened to fall. It was one thing for Puck to watch her fall apart. Ava would just feel sorry for her, trying every way she knew how to fix what couldn't be fixed. Only her son was able to numb the ache, and even now the blonde wondered how it was that he always did. He always found the right words, the right ways of touching her that drove her to agreeable silence. At times like these he seemed to be the only one able to shake loose the emotion inside of her. "You want some help?" Shaking her head, she takes him around the waist as her support. If she had asked to be carried the short distance, there would be no end to the pity in Ava's eyes.

Quinn sat at the kitchen table, eyes trained on the yard outside the window, Puck sinking down in the seat beside her. He watched as his mom placed a drumstick and breast in front of her waiting expectantly. After five minutes of simply staring at the serving, she quietly pushed it away. His mother, patient as ever, quietly sends it back.

"There you are," his mother said softly. She too knew very little if any at all was going to be to be eaten. Regardless, she would feel better knowing that Quinn had tried. "Pick one. Noah will have the other." Deep down she knew the woman cared for her immensely. How else would she still be in this house after the story her son had just told? But she just couldn't. Even the sight of it, made her want to vomit, her father's words as good as a megaphone in her head. She'd been listening to the same rambling on repeat for close to an hour, and somehow, his words only seemed to hurt more each time. At least she isn't crying. When Puck quietly pulled her into his lap, his soft murmurs were enough to tell her that her face was soaked in tears. If she had enough sense, she would be flushing in embarrassment. Right then it was enough that she wasn't curled up against a wall rocking to shake out his voice.

"I'm right here. Won't let anything happen to you." Really she wanted to sob, rattle her insides until her bones crashed together. But she can't. She can't because crying of any kind involved noise and she wasn't allowed to make any. Puck gently brushed her cheek with his knuckle, his touch finally enough to make her lip quiver. "You're safe now…" It was that tone and the words themselves that pulled a small siren from the blonde's throat. As ready as he was for it, the sound still managed to put emotion in his own chest. "I'm right here," he murmured, an obvious catch in his repetition. Sliding her chair out for her, Quinn practically collapsed in his lap, her face buried in his neck when she finally allowed herself the protection.

"Think she's in shock," he muttered.

"Looks so," Ava whispered. "Did something happen?"

"I...I think she had it out with her mom." Ava grimaced, her gaze softening when she noticed how she held onto him. Based on the stories she'd heard, Judy Fabray was not a soft-spoken woman. Her tendency to drink just made everything more intense. "She packed up most of her stuff. Some of it's still in the truck. She came out with a split hand. I had to pull over so she could calm down. Says she chucked a bottle. The whole thing scared the hell out of her." Puck saw Quinn flinch as his mother took her hand prompting Ava to pull back.

"Let her have a look, Q. She just wants to see," he whispered. This time Quinn did nothing but stiffen as her hand was taken, dead eyes shifting to her one safe face. He did his best to keep her gaze as his mom looked her over. Tracing over the incision, caused the blonde to whimper softly.

"I'm going to have to dress this," she said quietly. "It's not too deep so I don't think it will scar," she said studiously. As she continued, Puck returned to his soft patterning along her back, the sensation making Quinn shiver. As thankful as he was that she'd labeled him as safe, the fact that it was only really him was hard to comprehend. Shouldn't the fact that this had almost everything to do with her father encourage her to stay as far away from him as possible?

"Squeeze, baby," he murmured, offering his hand which he let her squeeze the life out of. "Ma's gonna make it all better, alright?" Quinn didn't even nod in response, simply curling up in his lap at the mere idea of being touched in a place that already hurt more than she could say. "She has to," he said softly. At those words, the tears doubled, spilling over her already terrified expression. Puck brushed a knuckle lightly along her eyes kissing the side of her head as he did so. "I'll be right here," he whispered. Ava took her son's last words as enough of an approval to collect some antiseptic and gauze to dress the wound. When she was returned and prepared, she gave him a silent 'okay' with a nod of her head. "Squeeze the shit out of my hand," he prompted. Even with all the permission he gave, his hand was numb in seconds. Quinn let out an Earth-shattering scream as it made contact with her tender skin, glaring knives at the woman who made the sound fall from her lips.

"I'm sorry..." she said biting her lip, crestfallen at the terror in the young woman's eyes. His sister must have moved them upstairs to find somewhere quiet because as soon as her mother cried, Beth could be heard wailing right above their head.

"Dammit," he whispered. Unless she could get Beth figured out, he was going to have his hands full for at least the next two hours.

"Owie…" she barely whispered choking on a string of sobs. Watching a slight shift in his mother's expression, Puck bit clear through his own lip.

"How bad is it, Ma?" Ava shook her head sadly, every inch of her maternal instinct wanting nothing more than to hold the frightened woman in her arms.

"She's gone," she whispered. _Shit…_ "She doesn't even see me. The poor girl is downright terrified…" Well, it wouldn't be the first time. And to think they were carefully pulling her out of her protective shell. Any work he and his sister had accomplished was good as gone now. Their little girl becoming inconsolable right above them was not helping any.

"Could you go help her with the baby?" Ava nodded slowly backing away from her place at the kitchen table. "Oh and if she wants to do anything herself just…Just let her. She's been really good with her today. I think Beth likes her. Quinn being upset freaks her out though." The last thing any one of them needed was Becca thinking she'd done something wrong. He couldn't juggle almost all of them right now. Once his mom had left the room, Quinn finally saw permission to absolutely shatter.

"She's done," he whispered, the promise only serving to allow Quinn to become even smaller in his arms. "I know it sucks now but it'll make it better," he said gently. Quinn's head snapped, the sudden motion releasing a soft "pop" that was obviously more frightening than it was painful If she weren't so torn up about it, Puck would have laughed at her disgust. "Think you can try and eat somethin' for me?" he asked gently, the very thought of food making Quinn more than queasy at its second mention. "For me?" he reiterated softly. "All I'm asking you to do is try. You're probably starving." She quickly shook her head, denying his assumption almost as soon as it left his mouth. The roll of her stomach was fast on its heels, betraying her denial. Puck smiled softly pulling the plate closer to them.

"Just do what you can."

"No." Puck's eyes glazed over for no more than a minute. She'd sounded small before but this time felt worse. Usually it was because of a memory she'd walked into and just couldn't get out of. Today something had happened to send her into hiding. Something he couldn't protect her from.

"Come on, sweetheart. Open," he said softly. Quinn shook her head once more, blond locks tickling Puck's shoulder as she did. "C'mon. Just this one. We'll go as slow as you want and put the other one away for later. You want your stomach to yell at me again?" he teased. Quinn frowned, biting her lip. "Beth's down for a bit," he reminded her. I'm all yours until this is done. Now open please." She grudgingly obliged parting them only enough to let the fork through and clamped down on the little bit in her mouth. "Gonna have to swallow it too," he said. "You know...The faster you finish up, the sooner we can get to bed," he pointed out, hoping that it was enough of a carrot to encourage her to at least finish half of what was on her plate. Quinn would honestly give anything to curl up in bed right now. Curl up next to him...to them and forget this whole day so much as started at all. Peeling off another little bit, Puck quietly brought the next bite to her mouth, which she accepted. chewing on it slowly. "Good," he whispered.

As hard as she tried, Quinn couldn't understand where he'd found so much patience. She could hold a fork just fine. She could freaking feed herself. And yet, she wasn't. Curled up in his arms, she was no better than a small child. To her utter surprise he hardly seemed bothered by it at all. He looked _happy_ to keep repeating himself, happy to keep waiting until she finally gave in. The process continued for a good twenty minutes, only the breast of the two actually eaten before Quinn would have no more, deliberately clamping her jaw shut.

"No," she said meekly turning away from the plate as she did. He nodded sliding back in their chair as he collected what was left and wrapped it as she sat on the counter. Kissing her forehead, he made sure to offer her quiet praise as the fridge closed.

"Can you sit tight for like...a minute while I go check on them upstairs? I'll be right back, I swear." She nodded reluctantly well aware that they both had to go up at separate times if they were going keep Beth from screaming. Knowing that going over the minute he promised her was out of the question for her, he hurried up the stairs, stripped the shirt he wore and handing it to his mother. Noting the question in her eyes, he rolled his lip. "She sleeps better when one of us is 'here'. This one's brand new. I would make it something of Quinn's but since a few minutes ago, she wouldn't stop until she got her."

"She's in no position to…"

"I know. Just keep doing what you're doing." Turning to his sister he smiled. "I owe you big time, don't I?" Looking up at her brother, Becca just shrugged. Most of the time when she did stuff for him, he rewarded her for doing more than was asked of her. She knew that this time was a little bit different. Yeah it was harder but she didn't really _want_ anything. Quinn was back and she would get to be an auntie again.

"I just want Quinn to stop being sad," she mumbled.

"I'm working on it, kiddo. It might take some time but we'll figure it out, okay?" Becca nodded slowly, for once appreciating the kiss he placed atop her head.

"I love you, Bubbah." Her voice was so careful and quiet Puck had to strain to hear anything.

"Always," he nodded. Resting a hand on Beth's stomach, he lightly pressed down, the feeling bringing out a soft cry. Still she managed to stretch out her curled up limbs pressing into her father's touch.

"Da," she whimpered, her soft brown eyes meeting his. Taking in his face she let the tears glide quietly, her face twisted as she prepared to call for his attention.

"Hey, we don't need any of that, okay? Just relax…" The three of them watched while Beth all but buried herself in his neck. Ava frowned, finally able to see her tiny fingers and how frantically she dug them in.

"I…I still don't understand."

"Shelby lied…" he whispered. Loosening the lower half of her onesie, he was careful not to touch them when he angled her for his mother to see. When she did, Ava's jaw almost snapped out of its place.

"Oh Noah…" she whispered her heart tearing at the seams when she managed to put two and two together. Yes they had both missed their child something terrible. Yes, her son had spent over a year going over every single moment in his head. She even allowed him a year of senseless anger and frustration. Now that she knew, the anger he felt was the most valid emotion any parent had access to. She would never understand how anyone could take any degree of frustration out on someone so small and defenseless.

"That's where I was every day for a year. I watched it happen…I watched it happen and did nothing…" Though he said nothing beyond that, she could see the hatred in his eyes. Despite a lot of it being directed at himself, there was a fire inside of him that could kill the woman they wrongfully trusted.

"I-I understand…" she said hoarsely.

"Mommy she can't leave…" The last time Ava Puckerman heard a voice so small her son was six years old. Nearly a decade since and it still managed to break her heart into a thousand little pieces.

"No…No she can't," she agreed.

"Alright, pretty girl. You're gonna sit with my mommy so I can go fix yours, okay?" Before placing her in his mother's arms, he wrapped his shirt around her completely, kissing her temple as she adjusted.

"Da…"

"I'll be back real soon, okay? When she's better I swear you don't have to deal with me for as long as you want." Hurrying down the stairs, he froze when he noticed Quinn curled up on the floor. "Fucking hell…" he whispered. Walking up to her from the front, he sank down to her level and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

"He promised…He promised." Puck sighed. Yes, he had but no amount of time would have prepared him for what he walked in on.

"Hi sweet girl," he murmured. As angry as she was, as scared as she had always been, there was a song in Noah's voice that brought her to tears. Her brokenness was coming down in sheets that not even he could dry fast enough. "Can we move up to bed? Maybe closing those eyes for a minute will help."

"No!" she gasped clutching him like her very existence depended on his staying right where he was now. "Don't go…Don't go…Don't go…"

"I'm not going anywhere. We can lay together if you want."

"Noah hold me?" He had never seen her so detached from herself in his life. The mother of his child was no better than a child herself.

"Of course. You think we can get up off the floor?" The blonde shivered tightening her grip on him. "Good job." Kicking the door to his room open lightly, he barely set her on the bed before Quinn found her way under the covers. Coming up beside her he ran his fingers gently through her soft locks as she traced mindlessly along his bare chest.

"Noah stay." Massaging gently at the side of her head as she curled in on his arm, he let Quinn's leg come over and rest between his. "And when _you're_ ready, we're gonna figure out what the hell has you so spooked," he promised.

The rest of their day was spent in bed, Puck only leaving long enough to rotate for Beth periodically. He took extra care to be quiet as he came and went. Even as he returned quickly, the fear in Quinn's eyes as she sat up curled up in fetal tore at him in ways he never imagined possible. Puck scooted closer to her; glassy eyes, a lip pierced and bleeding with trails of silent tears as he brought her in close.

"I was only gone a second," he said quietly, trembling arms wrapping around him almost immediately. "Not going anywhere, Q, I swear," he promised. Pulling away slowly Quinn could only glare at him. _You said that last time_ she thought. Puck only smiled softly at the look in her eyes bringing a light kiss to her forehead. "The only reason I'd go anywhere is because of Beth," he said softly. "And even then I'm always going to come back," he added gently. His heart sank as her eyes clouded with doubt.

As much as Quinn wished to believe him, doubt was all she knew. Her father was gone. Judy, for all intents and purposes was nowhere to be found. Puck was all she had and even he had a history of loving and leaving. How could she suddenly start to trust that he could keep to his word? That's not to say that she thought him a liar. Not anymore. Being shaken to the core had brought every bit of it back. She couldn't help but think that if he wasn't physically touchable, _he_ would find his opening and finish what he started. If she wasn't careful, every last one of her bones could be slowly and painfully broken while Puck had his back turned.

"Don't go," she whimpered clinging to him like the lifeline he always was for her. Pulling her into his lap, her small frame found a way to be completely tucked in against him. Puck could only shush her quietly as he kept his fingers along her matted hair. Looking at the alarm clock on his bedside table, he finally realized just how quickly the day came and went. The readout screamed 2am in big blue lights. Well that explained the extra layer of fear. It didn't take a scientist to know how the night would affect her. Puck was suddenly praising the laziness he and his sister shared. Thankfully she stayed relatively close to her room, making the baby easily accessible.

"I didn't want her to wake you," he explained gently knowing now that even if Beth turned to screaming, his trips were over for the night, unless absolutely necessary. "I won't leave anymore," he promised quietly. "Try and get some sleep, okay? I'll be here," he offered softly, the back of his hand brushing along her eyes still struggling between awake and asleep. "Don't fight it," he whispered. "You're gonna have to be nice and rested so we can talk to Berry's lawyer," he said not even trying to hide his lack of excitement.

The lawyer part of it was fine. Even Puck was grateful for that. It was the idea that he would be grateful to Rachel Berry that irked him. She wasn't the world's worst person; just incessantly annoying. The fact that she was culturally acceptable to his mother did even less to ease the frustration. His mother would be far too pleased if he "found himself a nice Jewish girl" regardless of how much Ava had grown to love Quinn. Puck still wasn't sure if it was all that genuine but if what they'd just gone through a few hours before was any indication, she was coming around. She would have to if they were going to give Beth the life she deserved. Watching her as she slept he sighed. Bouncing the little girl between homes was out of the question. As messed up as it was, knowing that they no longer had that problem eased him just a bit.

Puck's thoughts were interrupted as her warm even breaths blew across his neck. Carefully placing her back under the blankets he sighed "That's my girl," he murmured brushing a kiss along her forehead as she found peace in sleep. "Can we shoot for two hours? Otherwise I get cranky and nobody likes me when I'm cranky. Especially you," he teased. "And I got to be on my best behavior for the lawyer people." He could only hope that they one Berry found them had good common sense. If they kept from judging them for their age, even better though he wasn't holding his breath.

* * *

 **A/N: If anyone is still interested, hopefully that ties you over for the next little while. Thank you to those who are still here**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So sorry this took forever. Hopefully the lengthy update will make up for the delay :)**

 **Disclaimer: *See Chapter 1***

* * *

As quietly as he possibly could, Puck shuffled to his sister's room, his body humming with quiet panic when he noticed that she was fast asleep. Only after a minute of reflection, he realized it would make more sense to find his daughter with his mom. Stepping over in just a few strides, his rhythm steadied when he saw Beth propped on Ava's chest watching her intently. A sense of amusement washed over him when he considered which sight was worse; his mother fast asleep and undisturbed or his daughter pin drop silent while she waited for movement. Tickling the older woman's foot under the sheets only served to open her eyes in silent surprise. Noticing that she was now out of her sleepy state, tiny fingers poked curiously at the older woman's face, an echoing giggle bubbling up her chest and out along the bedroom walls.

"Thanks Mama," he whispered, wondering how in the world she managed to make the baby smile when only hours before she was a bundle of anxiety. The sound of her father's voice turned the little girl's head, his name slipping out of her mouth in a nearly musical manner. "Good morning," he smiled pulling her off of her grandmother's chest so she might be able to find an upright position. Beth gave no argument, happily resting her head on his shoulder with eyes wide open. "She give you any problems?"

"She was a little fussy going down for the night. We had to dig through some of Quinn's things every few hours…I hope that's okay." Puck nodded, wondering how even with awareness of her mother their night remained undisturbed. All the same he was happy to see that the substitution was enough, at least for one night.

"I told Becca she could take stuff I left out in the living room. I'm glad it worked." Ava nodded, a change of question clear in her eyes. "Still no change…She freaked out the last time I checked in. Decided to call it after that." Another small nod, the sad smile his mom wore pulling at his own heart. He still couldn't decide when it was that she started taking such an interest in Quinn's well-being but to see it now seemed even more intriguing. "She doesn't even know I came to get this one so I should probably let her know before we have another meltdown." After a short stretch, Ava quietly reached for her granddaughter, an attempt that went with no vocal argument. Instead the little girl held the grip she already had on him, every one of her tiny limbs determined to keep her exactly where she was.

"Da…" she sang quietly.

"I guess we'll see you downstairs. Thanks for keeping her happy." Ava laughed softly, the notion not near as difficult as it looked.

"I raised two boys and a stubborn little girl. This one's a dream." Puck rolled his eyes, the description nowhere near accurate the day before. "Just like her mama." He couldn't help but laugh a little harder. His Quinn and her Quinn were sometimes very different sights.

"I guess she only gives _me_ a hard time." His mother shrugged, a knowing smirk coming across her face. "Price I pay for being in love with her," he whispered. The confession wasn't one he disclosed to a lot of people. If anything that was something meant to be incredibly private. But this was his mom. The woman who could read him just as well as she could.

"You two make beautiful babies," she whispered. Hearing the compliment, Puck raised his head, replaying the words spoken just to be sure he'd heard them correctly.

"We've only ever made her," he clarified. Ava said nothing more, quietly leaving the room and making her way back down to the kitchen. "Your nana confuses me…" At threshold of his room, he motioned for quiet, a soft sigh escaping her lips in response. Sliding back into bed, relief washed over him when he saw that Quinn stayed in relatively peaceful sleep, only clinging tightly to his pillow in his absence.

"Ma…ma." He nodded, surprised with how quietly the baby had spoken. Still, he couldn't help but hold his breath as Beth inched closer to the sleeping blonde, staring at the obstacle in confusion before he moved it out of her way. From there she found her opening between her mother's arms, resting her head as she waited for movement once more.

"Shh..." Clinging to her oversized tshirt, finding access to her breasts was frighteningly easy. Puck let out a small breath when he saw that she'd only brought her tongue gently across her chest, Quinn's eyes popping open with a soft gasp while she aimed to make her presence known. "Not sure we should be doing that just yet, Beth. She's not even…" Expecting fear, his jaw dropped further when her arms only closed around her, one hand working through her hair. Any small note of excitement was short-lived when he realized that Quinn's expression was still frighteningly blank. The contradiction of maintaining a mother's touch when she had virtually no idea where she was brought rare tears to Puck's eyes. "Babe…" he sighed.

"Baby," she barely whispered. Biting his cheek Puck nodded. "Mine…" Another nod. He wondered if Quinn even realized she now laid there exposed.

"That's your baby," he mumbled. "I'm going to take her down for a bottle in a minute. Do you want to come too or stay here?"

"She's happy." Even though he wasn't sure that was an exact description of her current mood, for the moment she was stupidly content. For that, he nodded, running a finger gently along her spine, the feeling making the little girl shiver and flail and latch off.

"You good?" Small hands grazed her mother's face, Puck clearly invisible for the time being. He watched as Quinn pressed a soft kiss to Beth's forehead, the closing satisfying enough that she finally turned her attention to him, tiny fingers tracing his chin. "Let's get you and your mom something to eat, silly girl." Quinn sat up wide-eyed as the little girl came up over his head, giggling madly while he brought her back down to centre.

"Mama," she grinned, Puck's knuckle already trapped in her mouth while she sucked on it with determination. Quietly pulling her top back up over her boob, Quinn watched him intently, flushing for all of a second when she realized what his intention was.

"Better?" Quinn nodded. Puck looked on curiously when the usual sense of embarrassment failed to cross her face like it usually did, no matter how much of her he had already seen. _Where are you, baby girl?_ If it weren't for the warped situation, he would consider the lack of reaction some kind of improvement. Now, he was once more reminded of just how lost she had become. "Come on." Extending his hand, she gripped it tightly, so much smaller in his clothes than she usually was. "Mom's got some good breakfast going." The smell all but sailed up the stairs, making both of their stomachs sound off quietly. Despite being sleep-eyed and sour-faced, his sister mindlessly handed her niece a prepared bottle, the girls' expression hardly phasing her. "Can you hold that?" he mumbled. Handing him back his knuckle, she silently rested against his shoulder while nursing the bottle slowly. "You wanna go sit with Auntie while you work on that? I think it might help her be less grumpy." The suggestion brightened the eight year old's expression considerably, eager hands already waiting. "Go for it…" In the months leading up to it, a good portion of his time was spent preparing for heightened jealousy. Instead his sister took every single opportunity.

Even while she fell into her arms without debate, wide brown eyes followed her parents over to the kitchen table. Becca followed her line of sight, hardly rattled by the baby's fixation. Noah had always made her feel super safe. Quinn too. After learning about what the other lady did, it wasn't surprising to watch her make sure. To better the situation, she slid in beside her brother, her expression giving a little as she watched Quinn continue her blank stare from yesterday.

"Is she okay, Bubah?" Turning his eyes over, he shrugged. No matter what Beth managed to pull from her moments before, how the day would go was still such a mystery.

"I'm not sure," he said honestly. "But she will be. It just might be a little while." When she realized the teen left them a vacant chair, she wondered why Quinn chose his lap instead. _Cause she needs to feel safe_ she thought, still wishing she could do something for her.

"Mommy made bacon," she said softly. "Maybe it'll help her feel better." Catching his mother out of the corner of his eye, the teen's brow rose. No matter how Ava felt about his girlfriend, bacon was always an unspoken secret. Today she'd cracked the hidden treasure wide open.

"We aren't completely kosher anyhow," she shrugged. "I figured it might trigger something for her…" she said cautiously. If that alone wasn't proof of how much she'd taken to Quinn, he really didn't know what would.

"Thank you…" Barely a flutter of sound but it was there. As small as it was, the acknowledgement jump-started his heart.

"What she said…" he mumbled, happier than he'd ever been to smell the forbidden food. Next to him, Becca offered a knowing smile, her eyes shining with amusement. Their daughter stayed occupied with the ends of her long hair, her fingers almost disappearing in the mess. "Gentle," he warned.

"She doesn't pull too hard," she grinned. "And this way, I'm helping so you and Quinn can eat." Was his sister really only eight? In just the last 24 hours her words were far more advanced than he ever remembered them being. Holding a strip of bacon at her lips, Quinn bit off a small piece with caution.

"I guess all she needed was a little bit of bacon to wake her up," he laughed. Ava silently rolled her eyes, even while easing out a small sigh of relief. "Is this going to have to be a frequent thing?" he teased. Even while remaining distant, hazel sparked for all of a few seconds in minor amusement. "I think we might be able to figure that out…" Pulling out her own chair, his mother nodded, only slightly saddened when the blonde ripped away from her attempt at contact. "Mama's not going to hurt you, babe," he murmured. Still she sat tightly in his lap refusing to be moved.

"In time," Ava smiled, taking her minor victories at face value. "I'm just glad to see a little bit of sparkle." Puck nodded, reminding himself to thank his mother for all of the patience she managed to find for someone she once thought to be so terrible.

"Did anybody call?" Ava nodded offering her son a small slip of paper. He had to resist rolling his eyes when he read the name across the top. _Harold_. That alone prepared him for the size of stick that probably sat halfway up his ass. _Archer_ was very…lawyery.

"He said he'd call back in a little bit over an hour. I'm not sure what this means in regards to your situation but he sounded very…hopeful." Puck laughed, reading a natural scowl on Quinn's face that likely meant nothing important. Even so, he took it as a notion of mutual distaste.

"The guy's just looking for another lump of cash…" His mother shook her head.

"We spoke briefly. I went ahead and explained the…situation—"

"Mom…" he warned stiffening at the idea that a stranger knew how much of a mess they were in.

"I explained that you were both students put in a bit of a bind as a result of an unfortunate situation—"

"Which….situation?" Wrapped in his arms, Quinn was as good as a board, the familiar fear swimming in her eyes he hadn't seen all morning.

"You're still in school…Beth's foster home not working out—"

"Beth was adopted," he pointed out. No matter how carefully it was all being explained, Quinn buried her face in his chest, wishing she could hide away from everything long enough to let it all just go away.

"It's virtually the same thing."

"Ma, you can't lie about stuff like that. It's all in writing."

"I didn't exactly…lie. I was just…"

"What exactly did you tell him?" Even with such a direct question, he watched his mother's mouth fall tightly closed.

"He'll explain everything when you go in at 9." Nine? In the morning? That was in less than an hour.

"Mom! That doesn't even give us an hour." Ava eyed him pointedly. Sighing with exasperation, he groaned. This was not the time for one of her indirect "lessons".

"He's fully booked otherwise, Noah. Do you really want to wait another week?" Without so much as a thought, he shook his head. For something that wasn't even supposed to be a problem, he didn't have the patience to wait so freaking long. "Your sister and I will watch the baby while you go get ready. We'll be leaving at 8:45." _Fuck_.

"I knew this wasn't going to be fun but damn…"

"This is parenthood…"

"I know, I know. Okay." The smallest smile came across his face when he saw that Quinn managed to clear her plate. It was nothing more than strips of bacon but considering the circumstances, he'd take it. "Let's get going. Beth's going to need a change of clothes. We're not leaving her here. She's going to make you guys want to rip your hair out. No matter how happy she was this morning."

"I'll do it!" Becca offered, jumping at the opportunity to be helpful. Without needing further instruction, she followed the pair up to their room, the baby cooing contently with a strand of long hair in her mouth. "Okay, I'll trade you Quinn for Beth for just a second." When his sister's face fell, he weaved his brow with quiet amusement. "Unless you wanna change her."

"Ummm…I'm gonna help Quinn find a dress…"

"I thought so. Nothing too crazy, okay?" Becca nodded happy to be on assignment. "Alright sweet girl, let's make this quick. Try and go potty before we put it on…" Once laid down in the unmade bed, Beth watched the back of their heads with fascination, her fingers shoved in her mouth. So focused, he only struggled with a moment of resistance, the soft glide of his finger across her belly breaking the tension. "Thank you." A short tickle session to her feet as a reward for her patience and cooperation sent her foot directly to his face, a vibrant laugh breaking any and all tension that still floated around the room. "Close one…" he mumbled sitting her up in just her diaper. From there the laughing continued, even after her source had disappeared. "I'm not even touching you anymore," he chuckled. "Or is that because you almost broke my nose?" Pulling herself toward the center of the bed, she fell face first into the sheets, a mishap that only made the little girl laugh harder. Puck shook his head helping her sit back up. "You gotta sit up, silly girl. She's not going to be able to get you dressed if you don't sit still." After an elongated sigh, she sat in a way that could only be described as "Fabray proper", a soft "Da" slipping out with a strange sense of calm. "I'll be back in a little bit, okay? Auntie's gonna find you something to wear while I go make sure your mama's still with us."

As if having heard her name, Becca poked her head in, her arrival receiving virtually no fan fair by comparison. Instead the baby's gaze was freakishly focused, a soft whimper bubbling free as he inched further and further away. His sister's face barely offered any reaction but still, he mumbled the quietest apology. Even so, Becca managed her brightest smile in hopes of giving her just enough distraction. Even though they all still shared the room, Beth practically howled, Noah's attempt at closing his eyes to dim the sound of it doing absolutely nothing.

"If you want Mom to do it…" he called in from where he stood.

"I got it," she called back, swearing up and down that she could wrangle a one year old who they all knew wasn't going to stop crying. From there he made a mental note to check her one more time before they left.

"If you don't, it's okay," he sighed. Becca had already done more than anyone expected her to, volunteering for things she could barely handle. If this was her way of proving that she "wasn't a baby" she'd already done it. Finally turning his attention to Quinn, her eyes flickered for all of a second before he realized her current state. The dress they'd selected was already part way down her thighs, her bra thrown to the floor. "Quinn…" he sighed, already brought to his knees in front of her. He knew his sister didn't mean to, but the fact that she wanted nothing to do with the outfit was nothing he didn't expect. He quietly trusted that she waited for the little girl's back was turned before throwing it away. "What are we going to do?" Her redirected gaze turned his attention, eyes intent on something in his closet. "I don't know if we can do that, baby. We're going to see that lawyer guy."

"Please….I need to feel safe…" Puck rolled his lip pulling gently at a ringlet of her hair. "It shows too much…" No more than a whisper, the words trying as they were shaped with a voice unused. Puck thought it over for a minute noting the desperation in her eyes. With a soft sigh, he nodded squeezing her fingers as he stood. Seeing as it was her first real sentence in 24 hours, if Harold had a problem with it, whatever.

"What's it going to be?" Quinn shook her head. Her lack of an answer meant she really didn't freaking care. And frankly, neither did he. Pulling down a dress shirt that no longer fit him, he paired it with her favourite jeans hoping the combination was going to be enough. "Try that. I gotta go hop in the shower. Keep an eye on them, alright?" Finally pulled into her other awareness's, Quinn's face washed over with apprehension, her daughter's cries loud enough to peel the paint off of these walls.

"She's hurting my baby," she nearly yelped, a soft hand coming over to stop any attempt to jump his little sister. "Noah, let me go. She…She needs me."

"That's Becca. B's just not happy to see her right now. They'll be okay. Just watch to make sure they don't get into any accidents." Her conflicted look was the most alive he'd seen her all day. "I promise she's okay. Maybe if you go sit with her, she'll settle a bit. Just don't take her from my sister. She's feeling all important right now," he joked. He watched her wring her hands with new nerves, nodding despite her desire to do just that. Not until after Quinn found her place beside them did he step into the bathroom next door. "Holy hell…" he mumbled.

Once dry and dressed, he found a soft smile at the sight of the two of them surrounding a now settled baby. Of course, it helped that Beth had taken her famous position laying horizontal in Quinn's lap, waiting patiently for her just reward.

"Not gonna happen, Beth." Becca blinked, clueless when it came to understanding what exactly her niece was looking for. "You'll have to wait until we get back. We're going to be leaving in a minute."

"Wait for what?" she asked her brows nearly sewn together. Looking between the two of them, he wondered how exactly he was going to word Beth's new fascination with "feeding". "What does the baby want, Bubah?" When he remained silent, the shine of frustration in her gaze made him laugh despite how serious she was trying to be. Explaining Shelby was cool. This was just…This was private. Private and…well, as normal as it was for them…

"Sometimes….You know how sometimes when you have a bad dream you get into bed with me or Mom?" Becca nodded. "Well, because of what happened, Beth does that sometimes. But it's a little different."

"Because she's scared too." Puck nodded. Though the way she fought off her nightmares wasn't exactly something most people made sense of. "She wants her mommy too. It's not different. That's normal."

"This isn't quite like that…Sometimes to feel better…she pretends." Becca just shrugged. If this was supposed to be confusing, she must be really smart. "You know how….when babies are born they asks their moms for food?"

"It comes from their boobs." Puck chuckled despite himself. She was only this blunt because he was. "So…When the baby is scared, she still thinks there's milk inside." Her brother nodded. "But there isn't." He softly shook his head. Becca softly shrugged. "I still snuggle my teddy sometimes. But only when I'm scared. "It's still okay, right?" Even if the situation were a little bit different, he nodded.

"She knows there's no food. She just likes to snuggle with her." The little girl nodded, the smile on her face growing a little. "This is between you, me, and Quinn, alright?" Again she nodded, probably happier to be keeping a secret than understanding what it actually meant.

"I can keep a secret. But Noah, can I ask one more thing?" The question was coming whether he allowed it or not, so whatever. "Can I still come snuggle when I have bad dreams?" He pulled one of the most genuine expressions he'd ever shared with his sister, realizing just how much change this meant for her.

"What do you think?" His sister shrugged. Her brother was a daddy now. And even though she was starting to feel okay about having to share him with the baby, there were things she wanted to keep them same.

"I dunno. You're a daddy now. It might be different."

"Alright kiddo, listen to me," he began turning on a serious tone he hoped would address all of her concerns, taking her hands as a way to emphasis the gravity of his answers. "Just because Quinn and the baby are back in the house, there's still you and me. You need something? I'm still right here. You wanna do some girly thing with Quinn, she's literally a holler away. All we did was have a baby. That doesn't change anything here. It just means I have to be here for the baby too. Can you handle that?" Though her nod of agreement wasn't nearly as automatic, she found it, a heavy sigh of relief coming through. "I'm still here to fight with. Don't worry too much."

"I don't like fighting…" Neither did he but spats were inevitable. "You're better at cuddling." From where she sat, Quinn smiled. She could back that claim up in a second if somebody asked.

"That's supposed to be a secret though, right?" Becca nodded enthusiastically, knowing that the people who knew that about him could be counted on one hand, two at the most.

"But you have a baby now. People aren't going to think it's weird or anything."

"Still." People had reservations that he was a dad. They had equally heavy judgements about the fact that Quinn was a mom. That wasn't going to die down until Beth was at least five; at which point she would be taught to shut them down with her combined wit. "Between us for just a little while longer, okay?" His sister nodded, too happy that she would still have time with her brother to be bothered by the rest of it. "And when the baby and I are busy, Quinn's wide open for cuddling. Between you and me though, I think she might do it even better."

"Nuh unh. You're the best. Even better than Mommy!" Whether or not Ava knew that, he wasn't sure. If his sister already said as much, their mother seemed hardly bothered.

"Have you even tried Quinn cuddles?" Becca thought for a moment, her face falling when she realized that no, she hadn't. "Well there you go. Don't knock it till you try it. I know you don't like it when we treat you like a baby—"

"Cause I'm not."

"…but remember this. You were my baby first. Before Quinn, before Beth…"

"But there's always room for more love. Like Mommy always says." Puck nodded, not needing to look up to know that their exchange had struck a nerve for Quinn.

"You're so much smarter than me…" Becca grinned with pride, her entire body singing with happiness now. She knew that he was only joking but it was still nice to hear sometimes. "Go run down and tell Mom will be there in a minute, okay? Did you wanna come or are you going to hang out with Heather?" Mention of the sitter down the street soured her expression rather quickly. "Alright. Give us five minutes. I have to make sure this tie is on right and the baby's got everything she needs while we're out." Hurrying down the stairs on her mission, Puck rolled his eyes, nowhere near as excited for this appointment.

Beth surprised them both by staying absolutely silent finding her entertainment on the ends of Quinn's hair as they waited. Quinn was another story, still on edge after the mix up with the dress, though it was nothing anybody else really noticed. For that he chose to face her while he worked his tie in the mirror. His mom and sister were already familiar with her silence. Being introduced to a completely different person would make her sentences even smaller if she decided to speak at all.

As her eyes fell to the toned muscles of his turned back, Quinn could feel a blush creeping up her neck. At the moment she was grateful that the mirror stayed between them because even if he said nothing about it, she was sure she'd be able to read the laugh in his eyes. It was nothing she hadn't seen before and yet, here she was flaming up at the sight of just his back muscles, despite the shirt covering them for quite a while now. It was a wonder she could think those things at all. But this was Puck. She knew him well enough that she was allowed to think such things as innocently as she wanted and he wouldn't press her. Turning to face her, he smiled.

"Enjoying the show?" he teased as he buttoned his dress shirt and flipped his tie. Quinn shook her head in denial earning a slight smirk from Puck. "I don't know...You're all pink," he chuckled fumbling with his tie. She shook her head hiding a face behind her hand at his observation, the denial only deepening her embarrassment. "Hate this thing," he muttered. This was even further reason as to why he never freaking wore these things. Putting Beth down gently making sure she faced them as she stepped forward, Quinn patiently worked his tie with a light smile of her own. "What? I never have to wear these things," he pointed out moving his hands to give her more room. "Thanks." Quinn nodded.

The blonde was hardly back in position before the baby crawled into her mother's lap, taking one more shot at her reward. "Soon," he mumbled, part of him hoping she might be able to forget after enough time had passed. Expecting a full-blown argument, Beth visibly pouted, instead burying her head in Quinn's breasts and moaning as her tongue left its familiar trail across her skin. "I hear you," he chuckled pulling her free, a change that received visible frustration. "You want her to do it?" The suggestion clouded her eyes with a sense of fear he hadn't seen yet. This wouldn't be the first time and yet she wasted no time in shaking her head. _Probably because you're still lost in your own_ he thought. As a small consolation, Quinn offered her decorated hand after removing rings so that it could be shoved into her mouth. The familiar distraction kept her quiet long enough, her legs only tensing when he came close to her healing bruises, earning him a soft whimper. "Shh…" he murmured brushing a thumb down the length of her extended legs. "They'll be gone soon…" he sighed. Once free, she rolled back into Quinn's side tugging lightly at her sleeve to get her attention. When she did nothing, the events that lead them here flowing through her mind, Beth worked her way into her mother's lap herself.

"I think Mommy needs a minute, B. Why don't you and I hang out until she's ready? Unlike previous attempts to keep her close when he tried to take her away, Quinn stayed frozen, further down the abyss.

"Mmmm…."

"I know," he whispered, equally confused. Taking her hand he noticed that her gate was nearly robotic as she fell in line beside him, a sudden frantic search for exposed skin untucking his shirt while she looked for the small of his back.

She suddenly groaned in frustration with herself. If she had just stuck it out...If she had listened to herself they wouldn't even have this problem. If it weren't for her she wouldn't have all these added problems, period. If she had just been good...Warm tears pricked her eyes then as she eyed the man beside her, suddenly sharing her daughter's fear. One day soon Puck would realize what a mess she really was. The shock of it all was suddenly too much. As her breath picked up she sank to the floor bringing her knees up and rocking herself as the fist of terror gripped her heart.

"Hey...Shh...What is it?" She only shook her head in reply; face still buried in her knees as she trembled. "I need to see your eyes. Can you use your words?" he asked gently.

"I'll be good..." she said desperately. Puck silently cursed himself as he moved in closer wondering what he had said or done to bring her back to this.

"I know you will," he offered quietly. Whether or not they were ready for it, they would both be good. They would both be the parents they were once too afraid to be. For Beth.

"I know I was bad but I promise to be good. I'll do better."

Quickly removing his dress shirt and tie (they would have to rework it later because he had a feeling things were going to get ugly fast) he brought her into his lap where she promptly found a space to shrink in against him. Thankfully, Beth managed to wiggle free, sitting close to them on the floor while the tears pouring down her face mirrored her mothers.

"Mama." Her name came through in a whimper that would normally gain the older woman's attention. When it was received with silence, she ambled into her father's lap, watching as he tried to fix her. Quickly drying her eyes he tipped her chin to look him straight on.

"I think you're doing an awesome job." As if she didn't hear him, Quinn went on, seemingly oblivious to his reassurances.

"I'm sorry...Was a mistake...A big mistake," she mumbled, tears still running down her face as she spoke. He brought his lips against her sleek skin offering her the most honest answer he could. Puck still had no idea what the hell she was talking about but she'd already used them once. He wasn't even sure she was talking to him anymore. Or maybe she was and still fighting something else alongside him.

"We'll fix it," he said. Quinn shook her head frantically at his words, highly doubting he could do anything about this. If she couldn't fix her own problems, why should he have to?

"Can't fix it...My fault...I was bad." Resting his chin lightly on her head, his fingers played against her warm skin still hidden by the shirt he let her borrow. He felt her flinch at his touch and quickly pulled back eliciting a sob from her throat.

"Relax," he murmured. "I'm sorry I touched." Quinn only burrowed further into him, the absence of his gentle hands too much to bear.

"You said you wouldn't go..." she whimpered.

"I didn't go anywhere," he pointed out, his brow knit in further confusion than he already was.

"Hands..." she mumbled.

"What about them?" he asked.

"Don't go..." Puck thought for a minute trying to piece together what he was hearing. He knew better than to ask her for complete thoughts. It was enough that she was verbalizing at all.

"Use your words," he coaxed quietly. It wasn't like Puck had dealt with any of this first-hand. He only knew as much as his mom shared with her medical knowledge. For once he was glad he'd sat through one of her-at the time-boring lectures about whatever Quinn was going through. He'd forgotten the name of it or didn't care to remember it.

"Hands..."

"What about my hands?"

"Safe..." she mumbled.

"You didn't want me to move my hands?" Quinn nodded silently watching his face for any sudden expression changes. Here she was being the mess he was almost guaranteed to run from. She doubted she made any sense, her own thoughts a complete tangle in her head. Puck shrugged bringing his hand back to rest along her spine. "Better?" Again she nodded, not even sure how she could stomach let alone crave his touch when anyone else made her skin crawl.

"Safe..."

"Glad you think so," he smiled. It was almost as though his touch was her off switch. Quinn was now completely silent and unmoving except for the claw-like grip she seemed to take on him. If she could think these things 'round the clock like she seemed to, Puck was even more determined to keep them exactly where they were. "Let me know when we can move." Quinn nodded mutely soaking in his protection for another couple of minutes before allowing herself to pull back and take hold of his pillow instead. "Let's go take care of business," he suggested carefully prying her fingers from the near death grip she had on the pillow. "They're waiting for us."

"Dada." Pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head, he got to his feet, pivoting to help Quinn do the same. Despite her eyes being full to the brim with questions, she clutched his hand in near desperation, keeping impossibly close as they made their way back down. Padding quietly down to the kitchen, Ava greeted them at the stove. Puck could feel Quinn go stiff as soon as they entered easing her with a light squeeze of her hand. The older woman smiled softly as they entered, her face falling slightly at the cowering fear she saw in Quinn's face.

"Are we ready?" she asked warmly. Puck offered no more than a quiet nod in response. Ava frowned as he watched the girl keeping a respectful distance. Her mood only worsened when Beth refused to meet her eyes keeping her face buried in Puck's shoulder.

"It comes and goes," he said by way of explanation. The woman nodded rattling her keys in preparation. Despite being more than ready for all of this to be over, Puck now joined Quinn in being a bundle of nerves. "Can Nana hold you for the ride? I'm going to have to drive." Out of the corner of his eye he saw his mother scowl. "I know it's your car. I'm trying to free my hands for this one," he mumbled nodding in the blonde's general direction.

"I can do it…" The offering was more hesitant than earlier, obviously remembering the endless crying that only a combination of her parents' genes brought to the surface. "I mean…If that's okay…" Puck nodded his permission, silently hoping she wouldn't put up too much of a fight. Grunting with only a moments' resistance, her eyes finding their faces seemed to be enough to calm her.

"Just until we get there. I'll take her in a few minutes." Becca nodded, holding her breath only a little as they made their way to the car. "On that note, I'm all yours," he mumbled. Once out of the driveway, Ava eyed her son through the rear view mirror.

"Are you out of clean shirts?" Without a word he held it up, his head directing her attention to the hold Quinn had on him.

"I swear it's clean. I'll sneak into a bathroom and put it back on." He only hoped Quinn would be willing to let go of him by then. "We're gonna be okay," he promised. He had no idea who this guy was but seeing as he survived a conversation with his mother, he had to be relatively decent. Recalling her unfinished comments from earlier that morning left him wondering what exactly the two had discussed. "I don't know where the hell I'm going to find the money for this but we're going to be okay."

* * *

Sitting in the attorney's office put Puck slightly on edge. He'd only ever dressed up on one other occasion. A period of time he would much rather forget. Even if this reason was different, sitting face to face with a suited man wasn't exactly comforting, especially when they remembered why they were here at all.

"Hello, my name is Harold Archer and we spoke to one of you on the phone earlier about the case of Elizabeth Puckerman Fabray. I understand you'd like to reverse an adoption?" He had to fight the natural want to correct him. Her name was Beth. Just Beth. Still, he managed to hold his tongue. People like him were the reason only three people in his life were allowed to call him by his real name. And really, no matter how proper it was, her names were in the wrong order. The cops had probably gotten it wrong too but whatever. People were lazy.

Puck was the first to greet him with a firm handshake which the other two quietly followed. As he introduced himself, his name felt foreign in his mouth. Still, Puck stayed cordial and waited as the man explained what could be done about their situation. "Under what terms did you sign this agreement?" he began. Puck wrung his hands nervously before speaking, his eyes shifting to Beth who sat quietly in her mother's lap. They had probably made the change while he was in the restroom. To keep her hands busy.

"We were both young," he began. "Quinn spent the whole time going back and forth on whether she'd actually want to keep the baby. Eventually, she settled on giving her up. We just...Well, she didn't feel we were ready to take on parenting and all the extra work."

"And you did?" he asked, his face free of judgment as he prompted the young man to continue.

"Well, I knew it would be hard. Probably the hardest thing either of us would have to do. I knew there'd be sacrifices but...I was ready to give it a shot. Told her that from the beginning."

"So you simply went along with Ms. Fabray's wishes." Puck nodded taking Quinn's hand quietly. "Did you see that as fair?"

"I wasn't the one carrying a baby. She's the one who had her and everything. There was all this extra stress on her and adding a baby to the mix was just going to make it worse." Well not worse but at the time Quinn made it sound like the worst thing in the world an idea that made his stomach twist, no matter how much he loved her. Next to him, the young mother stiffened, clearly very present for the words that spilled from the stranger's mouth.

"But you wanted to keep your daughter, yes? Despite all that you would have to give up to raise this child."

"More than anything, sir. My dad was never really there for us when I was a kid. I know what we did was...reckless and kind of wrong but...I was going to take responsibility. I was going to be there for my kid and her mom. But that's not what Quinn wanted." God, even saying the words made him feel like shit. Quinn was by no means a mistake. They'd made Quinn out of love, even if neither of them really knew it at the time. For him, being with her brought on a feeling he'd never felt before. He just didn't have a name for it. It had taken her quite a bit longer but they were hear now, ready to do what they should have been able to do sixteen months ago.

"Do you feel as though you signed away your rights by force?" Puck thought for a moment meeting Quinn's eyes as he thought about how to word his response.

"She didn't force me if that's what you're getting at. I signed out of respect for Quinn and what she thought was best for our baby. Sure I was dead tired and not really paying attention to much but I understood what I was doing."

"But you still feel wronged," he said.

"Not wronged. More like sick," he said. "We gave her to someone we thought we could trust. We were wrong. We made a mistake. I'm not handing my traumatized daughter over to CPS. I've made that mistake once already and she's a disaster."

"Mom finally sees the error in her ways." Next to him, Quinn paled. Just the combination of words made him want to reach across this table and… To his surprise, his little sister's small voice was one of the only things that stopped him.

"They're both really sad," she said simply. Even if that was nowhere near enough of a reason, his heart began to hammer when he realized she was trying to come to their defense. It wasn't going ot do anything but at least until he cooled down, she would keep the guy talking. Even more surprising was the fact that Harold actually looked like he gave a damn about what she had to say. If Becca got through to him, maybe they wouldn't be read the riot act for being teen parents. For a minute he considered if that was the reason he'd been chosen to represent them.

"Can you tell me why they're sad?" Once she nodded, the four adults waited in anticipation for her reflection.

"My brother made a mistake. But not a normal mistake. He just had a baby," she shrugged. That was only making it worse somehow and still Puck managed a smile. "He made a baby with somebody special." Hearing the compliment, Quinn's breath nearly caught in her chest. "He made a baby with a person he loves. And when you love somebody, sometimes you do things you don't want to. Because it makes them happy. When you love someone like Noah loves Quinn, you gotta make sacrifices. Because their smile's your favourite thing ever." If she had her words, Quinn would counter that giving up her baby didn't make her smile at all. But Becca was making the most mature argument she'd ever heard. "They didn't smile. They didn't smile because nobody wants to give up someone they love. But they did it 'cause they wanted to give their baby a better life. They wanted to finish school. They wanted to get better jobs so that maybe one day they would have more babies together. Every time I saw my brother get sad, my mom would say that he wanted his baby to be proud of him. But he's wrong. He's wrong because she already is."

"What makes you think she's proud of them already? She's just a baby." This time even Ava put on a face of distaste.

"She might be but I'm not. See, I don't remember the guy who got my mommy pregnant with us." _Christ Bex….He doesn't need to know that much…."_ But I remember my brother. He does everything my daddy was supposed to do. He holds me when I'm scared. He picks me up from school. He even lets me watch TV shows I'm not supposed to sometimes." From where he sat, he waited for a warning from his mother, shocked as ever when she only smiled. "Today, when I asked him if being a daddy to Beth meant he'd forget about me, he told me it wasn't true. Because Mom taught us that more people means more love. Look sir, I know I'm just a stupid kid. And I know that what I just said doesn't mean a whole lot to you. It's not going to change whether or not they get their baby back. But I just had to say something. Because even though he's older, he doesn't talk a whole bunch. Mom's not going to say anything because it's not her baby. Quinn isn't feeling good, so it's up to me. And if you ask me, Noah and Quinn deserve to have their baby back. Because I know he'll do a really good job. I know because I was his baby first." _Damn…_ Even Harold looked shell shocked. So much so he almost didn't notice the tears flowing both mothers' faces. Even Harold looked to be holding his surprise in check. He'd probably never been kicked in the ass by a kid before.

"Well, I'll tell you what. When you're all done with school, you give me a call." The look of confusion that crossed her face broke the adults into steady laughter.

"I don't know what that means…"

"He's saying you'll be a really good lawyer one day," Puck mumbled. After a performance like that, so did he.

"Oh…I don't wanna do that. At least I don't think so. I just want my brother to have his baby back." If that didn't win him over, absolutely nothing would and everyone in the room seemed to know it too.

"I think she answered almost all of the questions I had…"

"She has a way of doing that," he smiled, his face almost cracking under the pressure of inflated pride. I just had a couple more, just to make sure we're all on the same page." Was he kidding? His sister had practically given her first presidential speech. What more did the guy want to hear?

"And why weren't you paying attention, Mr. Puckerman?" _Seriously?_

"I was stressed from losing our show choir competition and getting like no sleep that night so I was a bit foggy on the whole thing. We still had a month to figure out what we were going to do about Beth but...well that didn't work out," he muttered.

"She was born premature," he said matter of factly. Puck resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the guy. For a person who was supposed to help them figure something out, he wasn't exactly as attentive as he would have hoped.

"Yeah. I was under a lot of pressure to see if Quinn would change her mind at the last minute or something. Would have done anything I could to keep her but it wasn't my choice. I did what I did because I care more about how the mother of my child feels than I do." Even while knowing as much, hearing him say so put a knot in Quinn's chest. "I would get over it. If the shoe was on the other foot, she would never be happy. She would hate me. All we would do is fight about how hard everything is. I didn't want my daughter to grow up like that. My sister and I already did."

"You understand that both parents must sign to make this a legally binding contract, right?"

"Yes and I signed it. I don't remember much from that day but I do remember that."

"Mr. Puckerman from what you're telling me, it sounds like you signed her over under duress."

"Under what?"

"Duress. It means that you were essentially forced or coerced into signing over your rights. If Ms. Fabray hadn't asked you to, would you have offered up your daughter for adoption?"

"If it was up to me, of course not," he said, his lip forming a tight line.

"It was up to you," Harold pointed out. "To make such a life-changing decision, both parents must be in agreement on its outcome."

"I did what she asked me to," he said.

"But had you the time, the proper sleep, and not the added stress of other activities, you would have tried to sway her choices."

"I only did what she wanted."

"But the end result was not what _you_ wanted."

"No sir."

"Mr. Puckerman, as you and your sister so eloquently laid out to me, this is not something you wanted. It is simply something you felt you had to do out of care and concern for the well-being of your child's mother." Somehow, he appreciated Becca's word for it so much more. "Now, that essentially makes this contract incomplete. That's not to say that you've always obtained your rights as a father. It simply means that we go ahead and set this aside." Really, he just wanted to burn the damn thing but he knew that wasn't going to go over well.

"So that means..."

"It means you have obtained full, legal rights to your child." The smile across Puck's face couldn't have spread any wider if he tried. Seeing the boy's expression, Harold brought his hand up. "I need to run a few more things by you. As a specialist in domestic violence-as is stated in the child's file-I must be sure that you have complete understanding of not only your rights but your responsibilities as a caretaker." Wasn't that the whole point of this meeting they were having? If his little sister could lay it out so good, what the hell else did he really need to know?

"I do," he said simply, though sarcasm and wit coated his mouth thickly.

"Do you have a proper and reliable form of income?"

"Yes and my mom has agreed to help out where she can until we can get ourselves figured out." The suited man looked over at the woman in question who offered her agreement. It wasn't exactly anything anybody talked about but considering what she'd learned about the situation, it was safely implied.

"Does anyone in your home take to any form of illegal substances?"

"No," he said, his answer riding on a breath as he kept his cringe as discreet as possible.

"Do you believe that anyone in the home is an immediate danger to the child in question?"

"Of course not," he said, his voice beginning to ride on the edge of frustration earning him a warning glance from his mom.

"Standard procedure," he said.

"With all due respect, Mr. Archer, we're not a danger to our kid. Especially if it's anything compared to what she just got out of. Nothing is worse than that," he said biting his lip.

"I understand your concern. We just have some of our own."

"Well you don't need to have them. I'm a good dad," he said somewhat defensively.

"I do not doubt your abilities, Mr. Puckerman. We have a witness in this room that took it upon herself to plead your case. What she gave me has tremendous weight on my decision." Wasn't this already decided? The contract was incomplete. What more did he have to give them? A limb? A pint of blod?" Puck nodded silently somehow not quite believing the man behind the desk. Then again, at their age, everyone had something to say.

"In cases like these we make sure to be extra cautious."

"I get that but you really don't have to be. I would never..." he trailed feeling sick at the very idea of laying a hand on Beth. He couldn't help the tone he'd fallen into as he spoke now. First Quinn (who had eventually figured out otherwise), and then Shelby who was so clearly in the wrong he couldn't even see straight. And now this guy. He understood the worry but couldn't keep from being slightly offended. He'd spent his whole life being judged and criticized and being enough a man for his daughter...enough man for Quinn was the only place where he felt he did something right for a change.

"From what you've shown me of your determination today, I highly doubt you would," he said in consolation.

"So does that mean we get our kid back now?" He cringed as Quinn kicked him discreetly. Even though she hadn't said a word, her eyes said enough, the glare in them a clear indication that his attitude left a lot to be desired. "Sorry," he mumbled. Harold only offered a curt nod.

"Not so fast. I'm only building up your case. By providing your statement, you're giving us enough to show a judge, who will essentially make the final ruling."

"How long before we can do that?"

"Well, all we really need is a judge willing to review your case so that they can make the final decision. According to what I've read in the file and what you've shared with me today, the next phase should be a breeze. I'll be sure to give you a call when we find one."

"Is there any way we could speed up the process at all?" Ava asked. Howard Archer raised his brow in contemplation.

"We've been dancing this dance for a while," Puck sighed. "The sooner I know that she's home for good, the better we'll sleep. It's already enough of a challenge with the nightmares she has because of what's been done to her." He could feel his jaw tighten at the very thought of Shelby cursing her and her actions. He wanted to do much more to her but seeing as that would land him right along-side the number one problem, he fought the urge.

"I understand. I actually have a few officials in mind. I considered them as I looked all of this over earlier this morning." Puck sighed, quietly taking Beth closer to him to calm his nerves. With her hands now free, Quinn settled one along his leg as they waited.

"Almost done," he whispered, the wind of his whisper bringing Beth's eyes to meet his. A gentle poke of her nose produced a light giggle. Just a few seconds of that washed all expenses from his mind. Besides Ava being incredibly secretive, the man hadn't given them any numbers to work with. Looking up across the desk, he brought himself back to a relatively neutral expression. "Sorry but, I was just wondering how much something like this is going to cost us. Quinn and I are still doing the whole school thing and my mom works a ton of doubles just to…" Confusion sharpened as the older man shook his head.

"This was done free of charge." Free? Nothing in life was free, especially something like the law. "Ms. Rachel Berry discussed the situation with me at length. I've worked alongside her fathers for the last 30 years—"

"Look Harold, you can stop right there. I know what she's trying to do but no. A lot of what our mother taught us went in one ear and out the other with me but honest money was never one of them. Whatever the cost is for a normal consultation, we'll pay it. Please."

"That won't be necessary Mr. Puckerman. All I've done is review your information and reverse a couple of signatures. We won't even be standing up in court. Consider it my free read for the day," he joked. "The Berries are wonderful people. A friend of their daughter's is welcome to my advice at any time." Well damn. Now he owed Berry for the rest of his freaking life. They both did but in her usually eloquent fashion, Quinn would at least try to take it in stride. "Every penny counts," he mumbled, the baby in question too fascinated by the crevices in her father's face to even acknowledge the lawyer at all.

"Thank you," Ava smiled graciously. "Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to help my son.' Harold only nodded, watching his silent client for even a single reaction. Even after five minutes of waiting, she remained wordless, her face completely blank.

"I don't mean to step on any toes but are you absolutely positive in Ms. Fabray's…erm….emotional standing?" Ava Puckerman blanched. For a woman who spent a good portion of her life properly composed, Puck noticed her eyes set small fires.

"Quinn Fabray is an exceptional mother. She's had a couple of bad days but so have the rest of us. I stand by my gratitude, Mr. Archer but if you choose to question my family—"

"Couldn't even wait for us to leave before you started judging," Puck muttered. "You know what, Mom? I think we want somebody else. Rachel has a whole notebook of people who can do a little bit of magic."

"Don't be silly. I was only asking a simple question. A question for the well-being of your daughter." Puck steeled almost instantly, pulling both of his girls in a little bit tighter.

"Insult the mother of my child again and I swear to god you'll wish you hadn't," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"It's not an insult, Mr. Puckerman. I only want to prevent history from repeating itself." Even while holding his gaze steadily, Ava kept her flustered daughter close to her own chest.

"I'll have you know I raised three children virtually on my very own. Two boys for the first eight years." Harold grimaced, though based on his "assessment" none of them were sure if it was out of judgement or being properly impressed.

"I…I'm sorry. I never meant to impose. I just want to be sure that this appropriate arrangement for everyone involved. I hold no reservations for young mothers and fathers. If your daughter is any reflection of this family, you have raised incredibly well-mannered children." Letting the last of his words fade, Puck smirked as he shuffled back his chair in what he could only hope was honest embarrassment for his slew of comments. Ava scowled, trying to fight a dry laugh when she noted how white his knuckles were while he gripped the receiver.

"Yes, thank you." Quietly hanging up, Harold nodded over to the small family in his office. "I requested a rush on your behalf. Judge Garland has a moment after his lunch hour at two. The court house is over on 12th and Main. I'll meet you there as legal support." What support?

"So we just...tell them what we told you? Or is there another hoop we have to jump through?" Any trace of former gratitude had been washed out of his tone completely. Instead Puck was hoping to get the hell out of here as fast as fucking possible. He wanted to be home curled up with his baby and his girlfriend in relative peace, this disaster far behind them.

"No more hoops," he laughed nervously. "The rest is really quite simple. You just need these statements properly authorized and she'll be yours before the ink dries."

"You hear that, Beth? You get to come home. For good," he grinned. Puck's happiness quickly turned to a grimace as she tugged at his ear. "Owwww, that's my ear," he chuckled pulling it away gently. Beth seemed not to mind as his reaction only made her laugh. Hell, could he get used to the sound of that. As angry as the older man made him, her untouched joy was dosed with perfect timing. He rolled his eyes and sighed as they rose to thank Harold for his patience and going the extra mile in the favor. Because up until moments before, he really had done them a solid.

Thankfully the last step didn't take as much work as the first. After briefing and reviewing prior information (and Puck once again having to repeat his stance on the wrongful signing and proper care-all of which made him wish he had the whole conversation recorded), the five were on their way home. As they finally pulled into the driveway, Puck could feel a weight being lifted.

"One less stress," he breathed. "Now there's just about a dozen more to worry about."

"Like finding a job," Ava provided.

"Yeah...that. But I will. I swear I will. She's home and for right now, that's all I'm gonna let myself think about." His mother nodded making her way back into the house, the small family following close behind. Falling back in against the couch, his tie came off in one swift move. " _That_ thing's a choking hazard," he mumbled popping his first couple of buttons relieved that he was finally able to breathe. Quinn smiled gently resting her head at his shoulder. "Welcome home, baby," he smiled. "Now who wants lunch?" He laughed quietly at the groan Quinn produced easing her up into standing position. "C'mon. It won't be so bad." _Right..._ "Let's go see if there's anymore waffles. Maybe you'll try one before I put them all in my tummy." The lack of space between bodies worked to the little girl's advantage as she pulled herself toward her mother's chest resting her head in waiting on the pillow of her breasts. "You go on ahead. I'll bring something up."

Once in their room, she all but tore at his shirt, if for no other reason than to hold her daughter as close as humanly possible. Her name fell to an echo against her skin, the eagerness of her grip invited more openly than ever before. While Beth was taking a well-deserved breath, she gently pulled the dress up over her head leaving the little girl in no more than her diaper, the shadows of earlier fabrics still rubbing against her own skin. So my daddy can't hurt you she thought. The happy sigh she managed was likely a preference she took from him, the wiggling of her toes and fingers spreading a small smile across Quinn's face. So much like him.

"Daddy will fix that when he comes back," she whispered. Beth on her part seemed relieved, sticking to her in all the right places while she tugged affectionately. Despite her best effort, Quinn could feel her eyes growing heavy, the steady flow of the baby's breath lulling her to sleep she'd long forgotten. Or at least she would have if Puck's emerging figure wasn't always enough to keep her conscious.

"Hey. You two look much happier. Try not to tell Becca it's because the dress is gone. She sounded really proud of that." Quinn softly rolled her eyes, her nose partially buried in sheets that smelled so much like him. "Are we taking a nap?" Again she nodded. Even after giving up her latest "feed", the blonde let her nipple rest loosely in the baby's mouth, an awareness of each other seemingly enough to keep them both calmer.

"Da…" It sounded slightly jumbled but still he smiled, fingers pressed gently into her stomach. While it first started as a way to calm her nerves, it seemed to have a calming effect that now helped ease her excitement. Moments later, he watched her eyes begin to close, though she clung to Quinn blindly.

"Not sure you wanna be like that the whole time," he chuckled gently pulling her fingers loose. Even while she found her sleep, Quinn's hand rested quietly on the little girl's belly, her eyes swimming with emotion that didn't quite come down her face.

"I'm not crazy…" He blinked, Harold's voice a quiet accusatory tone that made his blood simmer. "I'm scared…" As short as they were, phrases like that hadn't left her mouth in days. Despite hesitating her way through them, he dared to check her eyes for life, every muscle in his body throbbing at the sight of it.

"Welcome back." Coming from anyone else, she would look on in confusion, panicked with the thought that she'd made a mess of herself while quietly being judged for it. Puck just seemed glad to see her, his tone reminding her yet again of his patience and warmth.

"Hi…."

"Of course you're not," he mumbled. Sliding in a body length away from her, he carefully brought her shirt back up. "That guy didn't know what the hell he was talking about. He was just looking for something to say. You're going to be amazing. You already are. Look." Redirecting her attention, she smiled. "I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure this is the best looking baby in Ohio." Despite herself, Quinn blushed.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that's some kind of pat on the back," she laughed. "She looks nothing like me." Still, she knew what he meant. Her contribution would likely come through in personality.

"You know what that means though, right? She's going to make my life a living hell." Quinn grimaced, realizing how true a statement that really was. "Did I say it was a bad thing? This just means we're going to have to try again," he teased. That set her skin on fire. It was no secret that he wanted another baby one day. What almost always caught her off guard was his use of "we". When the time came, he wanted her baby.

"Ten months wasn't enough punishment for you?" she joked. Puck softly shook his head.

"We did that…" he said wistfully. "We made that. You and me. No way am I changing anything. Unless you have a problem with it." The sudden thought put at least a dozen variations of hesitation in him.

"I'm a mess, Noah…An absolute disaster. Not just when I'm pregnant. How many days have I been…?"

"Just a day." Comparatively that was virtually nothing. They both knew that she'd done much worse in the past. "And you know what? I know it's not easy. I know it frustrates the hell out of you. But this thing you do? I can handle it. We can handle it. If you checking out is the only real reason you won't have a baby with me, I got this." Almost the entire time he spoke, Quinn's heart practically jumped from her chest. He clearly wasn't going to take no for an answer. At least not without circling the topic until she got dizzy enough.

"We can't now but…since we're here. Since I'm…me. Maybe we can…what we talked about yesterday."

"I would have to go give the baby to my mom. I don't think she wants to be around for that."

"Puck, I just want you to touch me," she clarified. "This isn't….Not yet."

"I know. I'll be back in a few minutes. Hopefully she stays out. Did you want me to bring you anything?"

"Anything." All she really cared about was the fact that she was being eaten from the inside out. One of many reasons she hated this setback every damn time it happened. Food went beyond an afterthought. Winding up even tighter once he left, she sighed, slowly inching his tshirt up over her head, daring to brush her own skin while she waited. He deserves to come back to something special. Upon his return Puuck looked on curiously, his eyes flickering between the forgotten shirt on his bedroom floor and the implication beyond his sheets.

"Hey," he murmured, the sound of such a simple word making her throat dry with anticipation. Gently rolling her onto her stomach, he worked to set her loose before settling into a soft hover. With more life in her eyes than he had probably ever seen before, he let her look him over, tensing on her gaze alone. "What can I do for you, babe?" Biting her lip, her tongue running over her lip as she considered such a question. There was absolutely nothing about him she could bring herself to keep hating or disliking at all.

"I…I want everything," she whispered hoarsely, surprising even herself with how foreign they felt in her mouth. "I want to feel pretty. I wanna be able to feed my baby. I need to know I'm going to be a good mom…" Before she could think up anything more, his lips found hers. They could start working on at least two of those right now. Quinn met him with an urgency he didn't quite expect, nearly as frantic as Puck himself usually was. Nibbling on her lower lip with a gentle pull, his mouth inched the length of her neck, her voice box vibrating just enough to bring a knowing smile across his face. Stopping at her collarbone, his breath was warm against her skin, just enough to make her shiver. "Noah…" she gasped, goosebumps rising along every inch of her body.

"Yeah baby?" he whispered, shaping butterflies along her chest with fleeting kisses. Incapable of viable words, her hands found his shaved head, the feeling of skin leaving her to wish for just a moment that he had something to sink them into.

"Twist hard," she breathed, fully convinced that the harder she shook, the more like herself she would hopefully feel. The fact that it would prove just how much he wanted her was an equally viable reason. Down at her hips, he almost bellowed with laughter. What an invitation. Tugging lightly at her navel, he let his tongue work the remaining distance to her breasts where he set himself in preparation. "Okay…" Gripping her nipple, he grinned, his attempt to nearly turn it over rattling almost every one of her nerves. "Oh my god…."

"Feels good, right?" She wasn't exactly sure yet. What she did know was that she wanted more of that feeling. The only one that seemed to take her out of her own body long enough to feel free. "Again?" he asked softly. The soft nod brought her fingers deep into his shoulder blades in preparation.

"Again…" Brushing her stomach with the back of his fingers, he nipped at the edge of her breast, trapping it with his lips. "Okay…" she sighed, her breath sharp as she sailed up and out of her skin. One last draw of breath laid her out in exhausted exhilaration. Resting his head lightly on her chest, he grinned, every inch of him realizing just how much he still needed her.

"I missed you so much, babe." Quinn nodded, tears gathering in her own eyes with the amount of time that had really passed without his touch. Soft kisses did what they could to dry her eyes,. "Too much?" Before she could even process an entire thought, she shook her head frantically.

"I miss you…." she admitted, the heat between her thighs making her blush. If either of them had any sense, they both knew sex was out of the question. At least for the time being. But there was so much she needed him to understand….

"I miss you too," he sighed inching his sweats off of her hips.

"We shouldn't…" she warned, though she wasn't about to tell him to cover anything back up.

"We really shouldn't…I mean, I could put one on but that…."

"No more lies," she mumbled.

"It's not so much a lie as…making sure we do this thing one kid at a time." Quinn nodded, disappointment clear in her expression. If he knew her at all, none of it had anything to do with him. "Q, it's okay to want sex. That's supposed to be normal." She nodded. As right as he was, the voices still found time to ring in her head.

"H-How much do you love me?" she asked pathetically. If he wasn't already so used to answering it, the question would've made him laugh.

"You want me to show you?" No matter how she'd asked for it, his response buried her head in his shoulder in a weak attempt to hide. "Because I can do that. Whenever you need to hear it." Puck was easily the only one capable of keeping such a promise, the dedication shown to her in every possible way.

"Right now?" she mumbled. Shuffling through his nightstand, he eased a kiss to the corner of her mouth while pressing the package into her hand. Shuffling out of his dress pants, lightly painted nails worked through his boxers, the idea suddenly coming to light deepening a red that somehow managed to stay in her skin. "Take your time…" Finally revealing their final obstacle, Quinn pressed a soft kiss to his tip. Falling back into the bed, Puck carefully eased between her legs, pulling them apart just enough that they both managed to line up against each other. "Please love me, Noah…"

* * *

 _Quinn shuffled out into the living room, blearing-eyed. From where she stood on the staircase, she could smell her mom's cooking as it wafted from the kitchen. She had to wonder if what she smelled was made with the woman's own two hands or something premade, like it always seemed to be. She opted for the second most logical explanation trying not to be as disappointed as she secretly felt. Pulling her housecoat closer to her body, she quietly descended. As she made her way into the kitchen, taking her place at the table, a well-practiced smile made its way across her face._

" _Good morning Mom," she said brightly. Judy turned, now aware that she wasn't alone._

" _Morning, Quinnie," she replied. Now that her eyes were well-adjusted, she realized she had been wrong. On one of her rare occasions, her mother would take meals into her own hands. She figured she might as well drink this all in. It would probably be another month before she saw her standing at the stove again. Unlike every other instance Judy looked content to be there. To say this was surprising to Quinn would be an understatement. Trying her best to suppress a yawn, she let her eyes close more tightly than they would naturally. If by the time they opened and she was presented with an overly extravagant meal prepped with all the trimmings, then this was real enough. She almost hoped that it would. There was a comfort in the familiar. No matter how disappointing it initially was. At least then she'd know she was in the right house._

" _Smells good," she smiled. Judy grinned brightly obviously pleased with herself. She had to commend her on the effort, the extra mile, no matter what her reasons for taking it might actually be. Maybe for just a moment she could pretend they were your typical Lima family. It was a bit of a stretch and Quinn knew it. But the scene before her looked too good not to let her imagination go on a bit of a run._

" _I hope you don't mind a bit of bacon. I think I made a bit too much," she smiled. Quinn raised her brow curiously. Judy was either playing with her or genuinely unaware. Either way, she'd take it. She decided that a nod was sufficient enough an answer._

" _Can I help with anything?" she asked. Her mother turned back toward the stove before she spoke._

" _There's a selection of fresh fruit that can be sliced and served up if you don't mind," she said pleasantly. She nodded, already pulling out a knife and taking it to a quarter of fresh watermelon. "This is nice. I'm not sure I remember the last time we did something like this."_ _ **I was nine**_ _she thought. The grin in Judy's voice was palpable._

" _I don't know. A while I think," she shrugged. There was no point in getting technical about it. She would just deny the timeline anyway, like they avoided just about everything else._

" _We should certainly do this more often," she decided taking out a serving plate and sliding a set of pancakes on it._

 _"That would be nice," she supplied. There was nothing if very little more she could add to the topic. Her mother would forget even mentioning it by next week, making some good and valid excuse about lack of time and a busy schedule. The subject was just as easily as easily closed as it had been opened._

" _I've missed you, Quinnie," Judy admitted. Quinn froze, not even sure where this was going. She hadn't exactly gone anywhere. She'd been here. This was just one of those rare occasions where her mother was aware of the things coming out of her mouth. Or maybe she wasn't. No matter what the truth of it was to say that she was once again surprised by the woman's confession was a little bit more than obvious, though she refused to show it._

" _I've missed you too, Mom," she said tentatively. For a minute, she almost hated this version of her mom. Everything she said and did was such a put on that there was really no way around it. Her sober self was in want of so many things that she'd later forget even wanting in the first place. "What's the occasion?" she asked. The sound of her half-hearted laugh made Quinn turn around, knife still bin hand._

" _Well you see, I was a bit of a goof and Mother's Day just flew right over my head." Quinn could feel her stomach begin to twist. If there was one day of the year she'd never soon forget it was that one._

" _It's fine, Mom. We don't usually do much for it anyway," she reasoned._

" _And that's becoming more and more of a problem," she sighed. "We hardly do very much together anymore as it is. You're getting older and I'm sure the last thing you want is to be seen with your old mom," she said sadly. Quinn had to bite down on the words that begged to spill out of her mouth. If her mom was suggesting that she learn how to drink, that was out of the question._

" _We're just busy, Mom, it's fine," she said._

" _My baby's growing up," she smiled._ _ **Yeah…**_

" _Have to at some point, right?" Judy just nodded. As she came toward her daughter, the woman's arms came to rest around her hip. Eyeing her skeptically, Quinn leaned stiffly into her mother's touch. She frowned when she took note of her body language._

" _I know I've upset you, Quinnie. That was not my intention. I'm sorry, honey."_

" _I know. It's okay. It's over. All we can do now is move on, right?"_

" _I suppose you're right about that," she said quietly. It didn't take long for her o notice the layered meaning in the older woman's words._

" _I'm going to change, Quinnie. He's long gone and it's time I…"_

 _ **Got it together?**_

" _I know," she said. Judy provided her daughter one last smile and a kiss to her forehead before turning back to her pancakes. Swallowing hard, Quinn turned to her own cutting board slicing a handful of strawberries, taking one in her mouth as she worked. "These are good," she said._

" _Aren't they?" she said proudly. Again she just nodded. "They're the freshest ones the store had on hand." Quinn readily ignored her mom's little tangent, her mind turning elsewhere, as much as she wished it wouldn't. Beth's small and angelic face filled her eyes and it took everything in her not to shower the fruit she was cutting with her salty tears. She wasn't going to do this. Not today. There was no place for things like this. She was going to have a nice quiet brunch with her mom and that would be it. She would drink this in for all that it was, no matter the circumstance or motive. She'd take it in and enjoy it, fully aware that by sundown she'd already be long gone. As ready as she was for a few seconds of normalcy, there was no closing the gaping hole that settled in her heart._

 _Her body seemed to betray her then as her vision blurred. She wasn't even aware of how badly until the knife's blade ran a short line along her knuckle. The sight of it quickened the flow, forcing her to use the counter to keep her balance. Judy must have heard, as she was quick to run over with a few napkins and a band aid._

" _What in the world…."_

" _I'm sorry," she whispered. Her mother met her saddened expression with rare concern._

" _That's not what I'm talking about, dear. Cuts are cuts. Knives can be nasty little things. The tears….This was supposed to make you happy…" she said disappointedly._

" _I am. I'm really happy, Mom," she said quickly whipping at her eyes._

" _Then why don't I believe it?" she mumbled. Quinn took a breath trying to ready herself for the words that seemed to demand release from her mouth._

" _I miss her…" All at once it seemed to click, as Judy's face grew hard._

" _Oh Quinnie…You're such a pretty girl. One day…One day you'll find a man who loves you, just as much as I do. There's no need to rush any of it. It all comes with time."_

" _But it happened…."_

" _Yes and you've solved the problem. It's time you push forward with your life. There will be more to come."_

" _Beth isn't a problem," she said quietly._

" _A blip in judgment. Quite poor if I do say so myself. But you're young. You learn."_

" _She's not a blip. She's a little girl. My little girl and I miss her," she whispered through silent tears._

" _No sweetie. That's what adoption means. You love her enough to let her go to someone who can give all the things that you can't. It's commendable."_

" _Just because I did doesn't mean I forgot. It's Mother's Day…I'm a mom. He says I'll always…"_

" _Noah doesn't know what he's saying, honey. Men hardly do. Come now, the pancakes are getting cold." It was only as her mother turned her back that Quinn realized how much had made its way to the floor. Small puddles surrounded her as she used her strength not to be physically sick. She had to close her eyes to keep from staring at the puddles before her. As some of it kissed the tip of her robe, she let out a shattering scream that turned Judy's attention immutably. "What in the world are going on about now?" she sighed. "Oh my Lord. Give me the knife Quinn. You've already cut yourself once," she said gently, tenderly removing the utensil from her daughter's hold. "So disappointing….You can't even sit down with your own mother, so consumed with that which you can't change….Breaks my heart."_

" _I'm sorry," she whispered. "I made a mistake….A beautiful mistake…."_

" _Yes you did, dear. She's beautiful…Just like you."_

" _A mistake…" Judy just sighed shaking her head._

" _And to think I taught you better. But there's no changing anything now. All we can do is handle the world and our lives with what it's become. Step away from the counter, honey. You're going to be covered in blood…" Swallowing hard, she nodded stepping over the pool in front of her. She had to wait only a minute after sitting at the table for the blade that was taken from her to find its way in front of her. "These strawberries aren't quite small enough…"_

" _I'm sorry…" Those two words seemed to be the only ones left in her throat._

" _No matter, you just have to fix it," she said sliding the bowl over to her daughter. Quinn slowly nodded wasting no time to do as she was told. All it took was one before her finger was sliced once more, this time the gash deeper than the one left on her knuckle._

" _So disappointed….disappointed...disappointed."_

* * *

Quinn sat bolt upright, her heart hammering in her throat. The same dream in various ways for the last two weeks. As much as she tried to rein it in, the scream that spilled from her lips rang through the room. In only an instant the bedside lamp was turned on and she was met with Puck's crazy eyes. It took him only a second to remember that Beth rested against him, as she had done without change for the last two weeks. Hearing her daughter's cry, Quinn's head spun in her direction, reaching frantically for her.

"Hang on, Q, you're shaking. Give yourself a minute," he whispered bringing himself closer to her. He was only met with an immediate shake of her head, just as determined to take her baby close. Puck sighed running his fingers through Beth's hair as he settled Quinn's hand on her stomach. Seeing the little girl visibly relax, likely from having them both there made her sigh with relief. "There….Much better. You still wanna take her?" She was just as quick to shake her head now. She'd just make everything worse. She always made everything worse. "She's good now. You're calmer….She'd like that," he said softly. As tempting as it sounded, as much as she wanted to, there was no telling what her hands would do to Beth. They were already covered in blood. Her daughter was nice and clean as per her father's patience. She wasn't going to mess that up. She'd already done her share.

"Wet," she whispered.

"Yeah, she probably needs a fresh diaper, you're right," he said sliding quietly out of bed. He didn't have to look back to know that Quinn's eyes were watching his every move eagerly. Even as she followed his leaving, she couldn't help but swell with only a shadow of pride. Even if that wasn't entirely what she meant. When she clarified or he found out, there was no telling how upset he'd be. As neutral as the dream was, there was something eerie about it, even terrifying as Judy closed in on her. The blood. Always the blood. As much as she tried to shuffle out of bed, she sat frozen, afraid to look at the floor below. She would probably be stepping in more of it if she wasn't careful and that would just make everything all the more real. Even as she let herself be grateful for it, her throat turned to sandpaper as she watched him with their daughter.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. Turning to her, he shrugged.

"I wouldn't have figured it out as quickly if you didn't point it out," he said. She knew he wasn't serious. A wet diaper wasn't rocket science. What would be though was finding a way to the laundry room on legs that refused to work. He didn't need to add her to his plate. She was the adult here.

"Big girl," she mumbled, her eyes pooling with fresh tears.

"Huh?" It didn't take him long to turn and face her seeing what sat in front of him.

"Accident….I'm sorry," she barely managed before tears could spill over. Her mother wasn't the only one disappointed in her. As if Quinn couldn't hate herself anymore than she already did. She had to. She really, really had to. No blood. She didn't want blood. The fear that sent every part of her body over the edge left her there to stir in her own…The realization pulled a sob from the pit of her stomach. Judy was right. There was no room for a child. Not like this. Hearing her distress, Puck rushed over.

"What?" She'd said all of that before. She'd repeated it for two weeks straight. No matter how often he tried to reassure her, the words and pain in her tone never changed.

"All over…Blood….Was bad…Not good," she whimpered clinging to his sleeve.

"What's all over?" he mumbled pulling matted hair behind her ear.

"Mess…He's gonna be mad….Please don't be mad. Was an accident…I'll do better. Promise. Don't be mad…" Puck bit his lip as he put two and two together surrounding Beth before turning his attention to her mother.

"Shh, we got this," he said softly, wondering for the hundredth time in days just what could put her in such a frazzled place in her head. "Can you stand for me?" That request alone shrunk her back further. Didn't he know the floor was covered in blood? Why would she want to step in it? "Alright, come here," he sighed letting her arms wrap tightly around his neck. "Sit here for a minute and try to relax. I'm going to go get the—"

"Baby…." Puck nodded brushing his lips along her forehead. Even as he left, Quinn tried everything she could to melt the ice between her bones. When nothing seemed to happen, no matter how often and how harshly she tried to free her muscles, the tears came faster. Her mom had never been so right. She couldn't do anything for herself. When he returned, she watched him with a surge of panic. He'd come back without their daughter. "My baby…."

"Sissy's got her for a little bit. I promise she's okay." Even while being reassured, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking. "Want help?" Quinn could only nod as the tears spilled over her cheeks. As he slipped the socks off her feet, he saw them go stiff as she attempted to bring them closer to her body. "Just a minute," he said helping her stand. Even as she stood, leaning all of her weight onto him, there was no telling how much smaller she would allow herself to become. Only now was she aware of the slight breeze that only bare skin would allow her to feel. Where were all of her clothes? He was supposed to keep her safe.

"No," she whined burying her face further in his shoulder.

"You're okay. There's no clothes." It was at times like these that Puck was more than grateful for his mother's profession. He'd learned to practice patience with his sister but this demanded a completely different frame of mind. What she'd woken from was not the first of her nightmares, each scare making her wet the bed more often than not. "Just hang out here for a minute and I'll go put on some new sheets. If we're lucky, they're still warm."

"No," she choked, her nails clawing at him desperately. Every time _he_ touched anywhere it hurt like nothing else. Consciously she knew that Puck would never….At the same time, he had no idea where hands had been and she wasn't going to scream bloody murder for him. She'd already done it once, probably making him feel like the worst person ever. He wasn't anything like that. If there was one person who never made her feel like less than she was, it was Puck. She hadn't said a word to him and he still behaved as if he understood everything she wanted to say and equally never said at all.

"I'll go ahead and start the shower so you can hop right in. I'll be back in just a minute, alright? Do you have to go?" he asked carefully. Might as well get that out of the way. _Not anymore_ she thought, remembering what she left in the room, the thought coloring her cheeks a harsh red.

"No," she mumbled, a light shiver traveling her spine.

"Your legs working now?" he mumbled. That much she wasn't sure of but she found herself nodding anyway. Even if she had to stagger her way over. Puck's arm wrapped around her waist as he helped her step inside. "Shower?" Again she nodded. Quinn wasn't sure how the standing part of it would work out but it was better than sitting in a pool of more blood. "It's going to start cold," he warned. _Better than too hot_. Just before he let the curtain fall closed, her hand wrapped tightly around his wrist.

"Don't go," she whispered meekly. The last thing she needed was to be left alone while all her own crimson circled the drain. As the water cascaded down her body, she had to keep her eyes closed to keep her head straight. Knowing where her memory tended to wander, she would likely see things that would just make the whole thing worse. Even as she tried to still her shaking legs, the water hitting her skin spilled quiet cries from her mouth. She hated how petty this whole situation made her. Puck didn't need to put up with two of them; small incapable children who couldn't do a single thing on their own. Beth had every excuse in the world. Quinn was just stupid. Stupid to let something like this get to her.

It wasn't like he hit her deliberately. She'd always earned them. He'd hide them well and keep them small so at least she wasn't reminded. But the truth of the matter was that every inch of her was coated in ghost and as hard as she tried, there would be no getting rid of them. With Puck waiting for her outside, patient as he'd always been with her, no matter how much bitch she served him, he wouldn't come. He'd never think to cross Puck, no matter how much younger he was. Touching him in any way would just disgust her father. For that shallow thought alone, for the moment, she was more than grateful.

"He always comes," she whimpered, month old gashes along her calves dancing their evil. Puck frowned slipping in behind her as quietly and carefully as possible so as not to scare her more.

"He won't come," he whispered squeezing the hand she took, which he couldn't help but notice was rather immediate. Despite how conflicted she was about his words, she nodded. If she had to believe anyone, it might as well have been him. Even if she really didn't.

"He'll see….He's gonna yell….Things break…"

"I'll take care of it before he sees," he said. He knew by that afternoon out in the rain that most of this was just playing along. The only way to go was to follow her frame of mind until she was done. "He won't touch you, Quinn, I swear."

"He does it…a lot." Puck only had to wait a beat before she continued. "Bad words….Bad words for a bad girl."

"You're not bad."

"He always smells funny. Like fire. Sometimes he smells like old grapes. And his hands…They're big….Really big." Puck could feel his own fire building as he tried to keep from throwing up in his mouth. If she said what she said next the way she was going to say it… "He's hard…His hands…They're hard." He let out a visible sigh as she trailed to something minutely safer. "They're all over….'Cause Quinnie's bad….Quinnie made lots of mistakes. Quinnie made a big one…Had a baby. Those aren't allowed. Not yet…Not like how I did."

"I know," he mumbled. For only a moment, he scolded himself for what he'd done to her but was quick shut that part of himself down to focus on what was saying.

"Told him to go. That he shouldn't be there. He shouldn't have to watch." Puck knew he had to tie the pronouns to get her from one thought to the next. He still hadn't properly thanked his friend for the saving he'd done. "While he was in the bathroom, Daddy made me take everything and go. His hands….everywhere. Lots of yelling too….I was a mistake. Val's good. Val doesn't make messes. She's a big girl. Allowed to have babies 'cause she's good." Puck found himself struggling with the question he wanted so badly to ask. Had the bastard hurt his daughter? How much did he do to compromise her fragile life?

"The wall…It hurt. He's strong. He smelled like old grapes again. He tried to…the baby." By now he's been listening to her through the shower long enough to make out every word, the last few sending him into a frenzy. "But he didn't. I hugged my belly….She was safe. Promise she was safe." Puck found he could swallow again, that little confession enough to keep his head from turning nightmarish thoughts. "Daddy didn't take her. He wanted to but he didn't." Puck felt her let go of his hand now, the finally sinking into the empty tub. Quietly he came up behind her, the mist of the shower head soaking him further on his way down. "I did good….Made a mistake but I did good," she mumbled as he shuffled her back against him.

"You did good, sweetheart. So good," he whispered wishing he could give her the appreciation she clearly never got for her strength. It took everything in him to keep the knot in his throat from exploding. _When it's not one, it might as well be both_ he thought, quiet tears toying at the edge of his eyes. The water continued running as Quinn finally dissolved in his arms, her entire body quaking as she clung to Puck for dear life. "Shh," he murmured holding her to him as tightly as she could without hurting her.

"I like when you touch…It makes me smile. They don't hurt. They make it better," she mumbled. As much as he fought with himself on the topic, the question came tumbling out as quietly as he would allow it. It was likely a no but the way she described all of it, any of it, made him wonder and he had to be sure.

"Did he ever touch what I touched?" Quinn had to stop and think for a minute. Puck had touched a lot of things, everything really. But the way he asked it, he sounded so scared. The Puck she knew was hardly afraid of anything. And then it hit her, the idea making her heave as she tried not to gag. In no realm of possibility was that even an option.

"With Mama," she whispered. Alright well, if that was all the answer he was going to get, he'd have to be okay with it. "They do what we did," she said carefully. "Just you get to touch there. Daddy's not allowed there. It's wrong." Puck himself could barely nod, trying not to feel a sense of pride at her confirmation. "Was an accident….I didn't mean to."

"I know," he said softly, not entirely sure how much of an umbrella term that was. She'd confessed to a lot of things today already, as well as over the last few days.

"He can't come. Please don't let him come…."

"He won't, I promise," he mumbled pressing a kiss to her forehead. The simple brush along her skin seemed to be her unraveling as one touch brought the pain back full force as it tumbled from her lips. All Puck could do was hold her as the shower soaked them both clear through.

When her breathing finally evened out, his fingers found and traced lightly along the lining of her stomach. As he made his rounds, he had to wonder just where Russell thought to execute his twisted plan. She flinched for only a moment as he circled, her muscles tightening as he came to rest just below.

"That….He touched that. He touched it lots."

"Can I make it better?" Quinn nodded slowly, not entirely sure how he planned to do that but trusting him enough to know that it probably would. A hand rested at her stomach as his lips lightly grazed her underbelly with his lips making her shiver. He smiled broadly as her skin surfaced with gooseflesh.

"He left. I don't know when he's coming back but he left."

"Good. If he comes back, he won't be there for long," he promised. He felt Quinn go stiff again, immediately regretting his choice of words. "On your skin," he clarified.

"Oh…Good. Don't go. I know I did some bad but I'll do better. I won't have accidents anymore…Or try…There's just so much blood. Everywhere."

"Well, good news is, you won't find any here," he said.

"It's in the bed…On the floor."

"We'll fix it," he said. At his words, watery eyes met his gaze, fueled with hope that he was right. He had to be. He somehow always was. Puck was the safest of places she'd ever known. As long as she stayed here, she could almost believe that nothing would touch her.

"Water's getting cold," he pointed out reaching up and over to turn it off. The silence that fell when the water stopped made her all too aware of where she was. Who held her was too much a comfort to be an issue. He'd seen her like this countless times before. Alright well, at least three and done absolutely nothing to her in the last two. As much as she wished to thank him for his tolerance, the words just wouldn't come. It was almost as though the running water provided a necessary barrier between her reality and anything that stood outside of it, even if that one thing was Puck.

"Back to bed?" Quinn just nodded ice cold now. Watching her shiver, he slid the curtain back and wrapped the towel tightly around her. "Better?" he mumbled. Again she shook her head yes as his lips found her shoulder. Stepping out first, he was relieved to see that Beth was still out. "Apocalypse couldn't wake that kid," he muttered. "Can you stand?" Quinn slowly nodded, inching out of the shower. When she hit dry land, she could feel her legs turn to jelly. She'd been sitting too long. Thankfully he caught her as she fell forward. "Good?" His only reply was a set of small arms wrapping around him as she inched forward. After a moment, she released him, finally able to hold her own. The moment she did, there was emptiness that consumed her and she couldn't help but make a beeline for the room.

"There's blood." Apparently, that's what they were calling it now. Puck nodded easily peeling the soiled sheets off the bed. As she watched him work, guilt and embarrassment consumed her once more. Puck was kind enough a person not to speak about it but that almost made it worse. "I'm sorry…"

"It's an easy fix. These need to be thrown in anyway, no matter what happened." He wondered if she remembered having had sex just moments before. To his surprise it had become quite frequent, each sharing of bodies beginning with an attempt to stimulate her enough to keep a happy baby.

Quinn could feel an obvious catch in her throat at how easily he took to her mistakes. He wasn't angry, even when he had all the right to be. Best of all, no matter what she did, his hands were never hard. As fresh sheets came across the bed, she approached them carefully, making sure that it was free of any blood that could have carried over. "It's gone," he said. Quinn returned with a smile of thanks. When he presented her with a set of his own clothes, fresh from the drier, she barely cared as the toel pooled at her feet. "You doin' it?" She answered by way of taking the clothes quickly from his hands. She had to work fast if they were going to stay warm. "You can sit, it's okay. Don't want your legs giving out." When she was finally fully dressed she scampered into the bed, quick to pull the blanket around her. It always seemed to smell like him and that was a comfort all its own. Shuffling out long enough to relieve his sister, he smiled when he saw how cocooned she was.

When he didn't seem to follow her enthusiasm, she frowned, all the question in her eyes. "We're coming," he promised, sliding Beth between them before taking his own space. Cooing softly, the little girl curled up tightly against her mother, her lips wrapped loosely around her breast, the determined tug taking some effort.

"Still looking for the good stuff, huh?" Despite knowing that the baby only did so in search of comfort, her heart gave out with a new wave of guilt. "Hopefully soon. We can't give you a baby brother just yet. That would be a lot faster…" Resting the tips of his fingers against her belly, he rode the soft rise and fall of her breath, a soft song slipping out of her mouth on occasion. "I'm going to have to cut you off in a minute so Mama can sleep."

"Safe…."

"Yeah, you're safe," he confirmed, a quiet kiss brought to the tips of her fingers. Gently rolling her daughter over, she carefully laid her on her father's chest, tiny nails finding their places along his skin.

"Dada," she breathed. The fact that she knew any difference while drifting through states of sleep would never stop throwing him off. At seventeen months she should not already be this aware of…anything.

"You really are your mama's baby," he smiled. Quinn tiredly rolled her eyes. It didn't take a high IQ to realize when you were safe and protected. The average little girl could sense her daddy for miles.

"Safe," she mumbled as she rested her head on his shoulder, shaping his other arm around her.

"Yeah, I can do both," he said.

"Both," she mumbled.

"You did so good, sweet girl. So good." Puck knew he owed his daughter's life to her mother but tonight gave him a dozen new reasons to do so. He still had no idea what the true implication of her mantra was but he'd discovered things that were just as valuable, just as important. He wondered if the running water had anything to do with it and just how much of it they would need to free of her such a burden. If he thought her brave before, this just made her a genuine hero in his eyes. She just smiled tiredly, curling herself up to him as close as she possibly could before finally letting her eyes close. As her breathing even out, Puck watched for a moment in absolute silence trailing light kisses along her jaw before letting his eyes close, allowing them to flow with tears that would never see the light of day, so long as he could help it. How she was still standing he would never really know. "Mama's made of steel," he whispered watching Beth's eyes grow heavy as she joined her mother in sleep.

If Puck felt responsible then, the duty to be sure that nothing so much as breathed their names had just inflated ten times over.

* * *

His eyes opened wide hours later when he noticed Beth perched on his chest, clapping a hand over it to get his full attention. Recalling the exact same position days before with his mother, he wondered if her wake up routine was some kind of Puckerman practice.

"Please tell me you just woke up," he grumbled, the thought of being watched creeping him out a bit.

"Dada up," she grinned. Yes, Daddy was just waking up. Beth's mood gave him a very different answer in regard to her consciousness. "Up, up, up…." Puck rolled his eyes. The word hadn't left her mouth until now and still he knew they would probably be hearing it all day.

"Alright, alright…" he sighed sliding out just enough to send her into the comforter, the little girl giggling on impact. "You're a morning person, aren't you?" Though his words were completely lost on her, the smile stayed put, a brush of his finger along her belly bringing out the familiar sound. "I'm definitely not going to need an alarm clock anymore," he chuckled, her bright smile being all the motivation he needed. Kissing her collarbone softly, he smirked when her eyes fluttered open, relieved when he found Quinn looking through them. "Morning princess."

"So tired…." she whined. "You go, I'll sleep." Puck softly shook his head. As much as he would like to let her, Ava liked to see them all at breakfast before they all parted ways for the day. A tradition that sometimes annoyed him but after everything, he found himself embracing it more often.

"You know she wants to see you," he mumbled pulling at the ends of her hair.

"Mama up!" Pulling herself into sitting positon, the blonde rolled her eyes.

"Why does that one have to be next?" she groaned, despite the smile that nearly broke her face in half.

"She's a Puckerman," he said proudly. "Kid knows how to be a pain in your butt." The comment sent a pillow sailing right for his head. "Okay, okay we get it. Let's head down before my sister starts jumping on the bed."

"Sometimes I feel like your mom is the most respectful of our sleep…" Puck nodded, though they both knew that any "respect" existed because the nurse hardly got any of her own. "Where's my sweater?"

"You mean mine?" he teased shaking it out and tossing it in her direction.

"And what the hell happened to my pants?"

"Those are right…here," he smirked his expression telling her everything she never asked. "No sex….Just boobs," he added quickly.

"Puck if you're just playing with my breasts, I should still be wearing my pants…." she said with frustration.

"I'm not the one who took them off," he pointed out. The reminder worked to bring almost everything back from the night before, her face on fire.

"In front of the baby?! God Puck."

"Are you kidding me? Beth hung out with my mom for that part. Once you'd had a few minutes I went back for her. And then you woke up again so I left her with Becca for a few minutes. I woke up to her staring into my soul. She probably brought her in before she went down. I wouldn't do anything in front of my kid. I'm stupid, not _stupid_." Noting the tone changes she immediately felt guilty. She'd said that about him so many times it seemed to be the one thing he ever used to prove his competence anymore.

"I didn't say it like that," she mumbled. "I just…God…I never thought I would like sex _that_ much." Puck visibly brightened, both of them knowing that he would ever be the only one. Not necessarily his call so much as hers. Not that he was complaining at all. "I just…I'm terrible….Absolutely awful."

"Ummm…I really don't think so but…" Again she flushed, frustrated to be interpreted like that, even if they had done it almost daily for nearly a week.

"Can you focus for like a minute?" she growled. "Your mother is just starting to like me. The last thing I want her to think is that I'm addicted to sex…"

"She already knows that I am," he teased. "If she can still look at me at the end of the day, I don't think you have to worry about Mom liking you. Hell, she lets us share a bed. About a week ago she even implied that there's going to be more babies…"

"Oh my god…" she whined. "She knows…."

"Quinn, she knows I love you," he corrected. "She knows I'm in love with you," he whispered in a rare moment of vulnerability. The blonde whipped her head back, knowing she had yet to hear such words come out of his mouth.

"What?" As much as they both knew it about one another, the words still hadn't been said on either side.

"You heard me. I'm in love with you, Quinn Fabray." As surprising as they were to hear, she couldn't bring herself to ask for a repeat, just to be sure her mind wasn't in fact playing the cruelest of jokes at her expense. "I have been for years…" This was new. Not even his glances gave that much away. "Remember that tree smack in the middle of the park down the street?" Quinn thought for a minute, the memory completely lost on her. "I uh….I left you something in it when we were like…ten."

"I was nine," she corrected, trying hard to think if she had ever noticed anything of significance about one of hundreds of trees. When it finally dawned on her, it took every nerve not to cover her face as if she'd been slapped. "You….You carved into it…"

"Our initials," he clarified, blushing despite all of his usual bravado. "It was…It was really dumb. But that's where I saw you for the first time…It's actually the first time you ever said anything nice to me," he mumbled. Quinn wasn't sure which part of his confession left her more amazed. The fact that he clamed to be in love with her for almost seven years or the idea that he was willing to share any of this with anyone, especially her.

"And then I ruined it…" she sighed. "Noah I…I don't know what to say…"

"There's nothing to say," he shrugged. "You showed me. You gave me a beautiful little girl when I hardly deserved a cookie out of your lunchbox," he mused. "I…Quinn I've missed you….The real you. The girl who makes me so happy I want to jump off the roof of my house screaming it. And I know we can't do this all the time. Really, we only get to try anything when she's down for a good two hours. But when we do…When it's actually just you and me…I remember why did all of this…It was a year from the ninth circle of Hell but I remember why I put my name on that stupid piece of paper."

"Can we not talk about that?" she asked nervously. When Beth was placed gently in her lap, her arms came around her in the most natural flow of motions.

"Mama up!" she sang, the demand almost taking out her right ear while she smacked at her chest for emphasis.

"I'm up, I'm up," she laughed. "Daddy's talking," she whispered. "Can we be quiet?

"Up!" she repeated impatiently.

"The lady wants what the lady wants," he mused. "Oh yeah, that grown up thing we do? For some reason it keeps you in your head. Don't ask me how but if it works, it works…"

"Of course you think it's the…." Puck shook his head. This time it had absolutely nothing to do with what he thought. This was proven over and over again. Unintentionally of course but still backed up with sufficient evidence.

"I'll show you next time." Quinn grimaced. The fact that he even knew there would be any number of next times still had a way of making her feel uncomfortable. It was one thing for his family to be completely okay with the fact that they were very…active. It was another to think that anyone had heard them.

"You're so confident I'll keep…putting out for you," she laughed. Puck on his part scowled. She had to know by now that he wanted none of it.

"Well, making a baby is kind of like the Olympics, right? You work it until eventually, something gives and boom, we got a baby." Hazel eyes rolled hard. "I'm just trying to explain something."

"Oh and you're doing a great job. Keep going," she smirked.

"I'm just saying…training is…."

"Fun? I gathered as much over the last few years. Let's go make an appearance before this one starts dragging us out into the hall by herself. And then you can tell us how that job hunt is going." Mention of his success, or lack thereof in the department drew a look of what could only be described as horror. "Not good?"

"Job hunting is crap…"

"You can tell your mom all about it. Maybe she has some ideas." Puck shook his head, almost afraid of what his mother's "suggestions" really were.

"I'm starting to miss your pessimism just a bit…."

"This is your fault, Mr. Puckerman." Nodding slowly, everyone knew that on some level. Even being in the house brought out her lighter side. Add the occasional play and well, training was good for anybody's nerves. But this was Quinn Fabray. Knowing he was the only one to make her happy in such a way was something he would always take with him. Add Beth into the equation and well...

"I take full responsability," he grinned. "Now, while she's this happy, let's go find out if you'll work through some of those waffles we've been talking about."

"She'll try themm when she's ready..." she sighed. "I'm gonna focus on the fact that she's happy and talking. Three words in two weeks isn't bad considering." She kept to herself that she almost hoped she would be producing for at least a little while before she did away with it entirely; even though they all knew that she should be already.

"Are you a happy girl?" The lazy smile she wore was answer enough. "Good. Maybe you can help me fill out a few applications. I'm gonna need a lot of that positivity."


End file.
